President Aoun to name a prime minister as Lebanon begins new chapter
BEIRUT – Lebanese President Joseph Aoun began consultations with lawmakers on Monday to designate a prime minister in what political sources saw as a tight race between incumbent Najib Mikati and International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam.
The designation of the prime minister is the next step in the formation of a new administration following Aoun’s election to the vacant presidency. Moreover, the candidate must have the biggest backing among parliament’s 128 lawmakers.
The outcome is expected to emerge by the end of the day.
The prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim according to Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, which parcels out state positions on the basis of religious affiliation, with the presidency going to a Maronite Christian.
Mikati is a billionaire businessman who has served as prime minister four times. Meanwhile, Salam has been ICJ president since last February and formerly served as Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Additionally, the votes of the Free Patriotic Movement led by Gebran Bassil, and Lebanon’s main Druze faction, the Progressive Socialist Party led by the Jumblatt family, are expected to prove decisive.
The new prime minister will lead the council of ministers, which follows a sectarian power-sharing system, where positions are allocated according to religious sects. This system is designed to ensure representation for the various religious communities.
