Lebanon is witnessing on Monday parliamentary consultations aimed at picking a new prime minister.
President Michel Aoun is set to meet with representatives of parliamentary blocs at Baabda Palace.
Mustafa Adib, a relatively unknown 48-year-old diplomat and close aide to former prime minister Najib Mikati, has reportedly received backing from several parliamentary blocs in the country.
Future Movement party headed by former premier Saad Hariri named Adib for the premiership, local media reported, with the man still needs to be formally endorsed during Monday’s consultations.
Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc also announced it has agreed on Adib to be designated as a new PM.
Other blocs are set to meet President Aoun throughout the day.
A majority of lawmakers must decide on whom to name as premier before Aoun tasks the candidate with forming a new government.
Under multi-confessional Lebanon’s political system, the premier must be a Sunni, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian and the post of parliamentary speaker goes to a Shiite.
Lebanon’s last government, headed by Hassan Diab, resigned after the massive explosion of ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port on August 4 that killed at least 188 people, wounded thousands and laid waste to large parts of the capital.
That disaster came amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades as well as the coronavirus outbreak.
Source: Agencies and Al-Manar English Website
