BEIRUT, 24 May 2008 — Saad Hariri, head of the majority in the Lebanese Parliament, was tipped yesterday to become the next prime minister after the election of army commander Michel Suleiman as president.
Former President Amin Gemayel nominated Hariri to take over from Fouad Siniora. “Since he is the head of the largest parliamentary bloc it’s only normal that he (Hariri) becomes the prime minister,” Gemayel told DPA.
Sources from the ruling majority were more cautious. They said Hariri had asked Siniora to stay on, but a close aide to Siniora told DPA “the premier is tired and wants to rest.”
The daily An Nahar said the Hezbollah and the Amal movement of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri were inclined toward nominating Hariri in a bid to defuse the sectarian tensions that almost brought the country to the brink of civil war. Saad Hariri is the son of the late Premier Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005 in a bomb blast in Beirut.
An Arab-mediated deal reached Wednesday in Qatar to end Lebanon’s 18-month political crisis calls for the election of a president, formation of a unity government and a new electoral law.
Meanwhile, preparations are under way for Sunday’s election of Suleiman. The presidency has been vacant since November 2007 when Emile Lahoud ended his term. Parliament failed 19 times to elect a successor due to differences between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the ruling majority.
After the president is elected, the government will stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new premier is chosen, following consultations between the new president and legislators.
Suleiman said he was optimistic about Lebanon’s future. He was quoted by the Lebanese daily Al Mustaqbal as saying that he would work to preserve democracy and Lebanon’s government institutions.
