Lebanon – Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, has been appointed as Lebanon’s prime minister by President Joseph Aoun, securing the backing of more than half of the lawmakers in parliament.
The appointment, made on Monday, reflects the weakened position of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which had favored Najib Mikati to retain the position, particularly after its conflict with Israel and the recent ousting of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, described Salam’s designation as a “symbol of a new era” in Lebanese politics.
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“Salam is a newcomer in politics, but he was the ambassador to the UN for many years and he has international experience,” she stated. “He is widely respected as a judge, lawyer and diplomat.” Khodr added, “Salam symbolises change. He was chosen by opposition MPs, independent MPs, who are pushing for a new political order as he does not belong to the political class that has been governing this country for decades and has been accused of mismanagement and corruption.”
The recent election of army commander General Aoun as head of state, a move supported by the United States, also indicated a shift in Lebanon’s sectarian political landscape, where Hezbollah had long held significant influence. His election ended a two-year power vacuum and has raised hopes for lifting war-torn Lebanon out of its economic crisis. With the appointment of the prime minister by the president, the country, which has been led by a caretaker government for over two years, has taken a significant step forward.
Aoun, a Maronite Christian, held consultations with parliament’s 128 MPs on Monday regarding the choice of prime minister. He was obliged to choose Salam, as he was the candidate with the most votes, securing the backing of 78 MPs, compared to nine endorsing Mikati. Under Lebanon’s power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the parliament speaker a Shia Muslim.
Salam’s supporters view him as an impartial figure who is capable of implementing crucial reforms, a stark contrast to Mikati, who is perceived by critics to be under Hezbollah’s influence. MP George Adwan of the Christian Lebanese Forces party stated after meeting with Aoun and endorsing Salam, that it was time for Hezbollah to focus on “political work.” “The era of weapons is over,” Adwan told reporters. Hezbollah, having concluded a deadly war with Israel this autumn, emerged weakened.
Under a ceasefire agreement, the group is required to pull its fighters from areas of southern Lebanon near the Israeli border as the national army, which was under Aoun’s command until recently, and UN peacekeepers are deployed in the region. Additionally, Hezbollah lost a significant ally in neighboring Syria when rebel fighters ousted President Bashar al-Assad from his position last month. Senior Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad stated that the group’s opponents were seeking its fragmentation and exclusion from power in Lebanon. Speaking at the presidential palace after Hezbollah MPs met with Aoun, Raad said that his group had “extended its hand” by supporting the president’s election last week, only to have the “hand cut off.”
Source: Al Jazeera
