Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam to nominate him as prime minister after a majority of lawmakers on Monday voted in favor of him, a blow to Hezbollah, which accused its rivals of seeking to oust the militant group. .
Mr Salam's selection marked a marked shift in the balance of power among Lebanon's various sectarian factions, since Hezbollah was dealt a heavy blow during last year's war with Israel and the ouster of its Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assad. .
The presidency said that Mr. Salam, who is currently abroad and expected to return on Tuesday, secured the support of 84 of the 128 lawmakers in parliament and that President Aoun invited him to form the government.
Mr. Salam received support from Christian and Druze factions and from prominent Sunni Muslim lawmakers, including some Hezbollah allies.
But lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally from the Amal Movement, which hold all seats reserved for the Shiite faction in parliament, did not nominate anyone for the position, signaling that they do not currently intend to be involved in Mr. Salam's government.
Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad, whose Iran-backed group wanted current Prime Minister Najib Mikati to remain in office, said Hezbollah's opponents are working to divide and exclude. He said that the group had "extended a hand" of cooperation through the election of Mr. Joseph Aoun as president last week, but that this "hand was turned back" this week .
The election of the army chief, General Aoun, who enjoys the support of the United States and Saudi Arabia, was also a sign of changes in the political scene, where Hezbollah for a long time had the last word.
General Aoun, a Christian belonging to the Maronite sect, held consultative meetings on the selection of the prime minister with the 128 lawmakers of parliament on Monday. He is obliged to select the candidate with the most votes.
According to the Lebanese system of power sharing along religious lines, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim. The presidency belongs to a Christian from the Maronite sect, while the speaker of the parliament must be a Shiite Muslim.
Hezbollah lawmakers attended the meeting with President Aoun later than planned, delaying their attendance while Mr. Salam was gaining support, according to a Hezbollah source.
Hezbollah believed there was an understanding about the choice of Prime Minister Mikati before the group agreed to elect Mr. Aoun to the position of President last week, according to the source.
Hezbollah's Sunni and Christian allies were among those who nominated Mr. Salam. Sunni lawmaker Faisal Karam, close to Hezbollah, said he nominated Mr. Salam, citing demands for "change and recovery" and Arab and international support for Lebanon.
The election of Mr. Aoun and the appointment of a new prime minister are steps toward the recovery of Lebanon's government institutions, which have been paralyzed for more than two years, during which the country has had neither a president nor a functioning government cabinet.
The new administration faces many tasks, including rebuilding areas devastated by Israeli bombing during the war with Hezbollah and starting stalled reforms to revive the economy that would address the reasons that led to the collapse of Lebanon's financial system. in 2019.
In his role as commander of the US-backed Lebanese army, Mr. Aoun played a critical role in implementing the US-brokered deal between Israel and Hezbollah.
Under the agreement, the Lebanese army was deployed to southern Lebanon while Israeli forces and Hezbollah withdrew.
Lawmaker Raad said that Hezbollah will consider the next steps and will "continue to act calmly and wisely, due to the national interest and we will see their actions... to expel the invader from our land" . VOA (A2 Televizion)
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