Prime Minister Najib Mikati and ICJ top judge Nawaf Salam are considered frontrunners.
Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, has begun binding negotiations with lawmakers to nominate a prime minister.
According to the state news agency, Prime Minister Aoun’s consultations took place at 8:15 a.m. (06:15 GMT) on Monday with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Abu Saab.
Interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is supported by the Hezbollah alliance, and Nawaf Salam, the presiding judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, favored by anti-Hezbollah lawmakers, are considered frontrunners. .
The consultations come amid pressure from foreign media to form a much-needed government to address key domestic challenges following Prime Minister Aoun’s election last week.
Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022 and has been run by a caretaker government amid a severe economic crisis caused by an all-out war between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel.
The results of the National Assembly consultation are expected to be released within a day. Once a prime minister is elected, it is their job to form a new government, a process that can take several months.
“Newly elected President Aoun has said he hopes the next prime minister will be a partner, not an enemy,” said Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Lebanese capital Beirut. “Someone who has the support of the international community, someone who is ready to carry out much-needed reforms.”
big challenge
Lebanon has a unique power-sharing system designed to maintain a balance of power between the various communities within the country.
The president, who must be a Maronite Christian, serves as head of state and commander-in-chief of the military. Meanwhile, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim and has much more executive power than the president.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, who leads discussions in the National Assembly and acts as a political mediator, must be a Shia Muslim.
One of America’s wealthiest men, Mikati led the country in a caretaker capacity during the presidential gap.
Mikati said Thursday he was ready to serve Lebanon “if necessary” while presidential voting is underway.
But Hezbollah’s opponents see Mikati as part of the outdated political system that Hezbollah dominates.
Whoever heads Lebanon’s new government will face significant challenges, including implementing reforms to satisfy international donors amid the worst economic crisis in Lebanon’s history.
They will also face the difficult task of rebuilding the country after the Israel-Hezbollah war and implementing the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which includes the thorny issue of disarming Lebanese armed groups.
