Lebanon President Joseph Aoun starts consultations for PM selection

Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun has begun binding consultations with members of parliament to nominate a prime minister. According to the official National News Agency, Aoun's consultations began at 8:15 am (06:15 GMT) on Monday, with the first meeting held with Parliament Deputy Speaker Elias Abu Saab.

Incumbent caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is backed by the Hezbollah-led alliance, and Nawaf Salam, the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) favored by anti-Hezbollah MPs, are considered frontrunners for the prime minister position. These consultations follow Aoun's election as president last week, after international pressure for Lebanon to form a new government to address the country's severe challenges.

Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, governed by a caretaker government, while the country suffers from a severe economic crisis, exacerbated by the threat of a full-scale war between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel. The results of the parliamentary consultations are expected to be announced by the end of the day. Once a prime minister is designated, their task will be to form a new government, a process that could take months.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Lebanese capital Beirut, said, “The newly elected President Aoun has said that he wants the next prime minister to be a partner, not an opponent. He wants someone who can garner international support and is ready to implement much-needed reforms.” Lebanon has a unique power-sharing system designed to balance power between the country's different communities.

The president must be a Maronite Christian, serving as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, wielding more executive power than the president. The speaker of parliament must be a Shia Muslim, responsible for presiding over parliamentary debates and acting as a political mediator. Mikati, one of the country's wealthiest individuals, has been leading the nation in a caretaker capacity during the presidential vacancy.

Mikati stated during the presidential election vote on Thursday that he is ready to serve Lebanon if needed. However, Hezbollah's opponents view Mikati as part of the old political system that is being controlled by Hezbollah. Whoever leads Lebanon’s new government will face significant challenges, including implementing reforms to satisfy international donors while grappling with the country's worst economic crisis in its history.

They will also face the daunting task of rebuilding large swathes of land following the Israel-Hezbollah war, and implementing the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which includes the thorny issue of disarming Lebanese armed groups.