Former premiers Najib Mikati, Tammam Salam and Saad Hariri in downtown Beirut on Sunday. (Credit: Dalati & Nohra)
BEIRUT — Former Premier Najib Mikati appeared closer to becoming Lebanon’s next prime minister Sunday, receiving the endorsement of three other former heads of government ahead of Monday’s scheduled selection process.
Mikati, himself two-time former premier, gained the endorsement of Fuad Siniora, Tammam Salam and Saad Hariri — the latter of whom resigned as premier-designate 10 days prior after failing to come to terms with President Michel Aoun over the composition of a new government.
“The Lebanese people are expecting positive initiatives from everyone, extending and complementing the French road map and the initiative of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri” for the formation of a government of “independent, non-partisan specialists, removed from political powers and parties,” read a statement following a meeting of the four on Sunday afternoon.
MPs are scheduled to meet with Aoun on Monday to vote to designate a new prime minister; the candidate with a plurality of votes will be selected to form a new government. With the former premiers’ endorsement and another from the Progressive Socialist Party on Sunday, Mikati appeared favored to win.
Whoever is chosen will need to agree with Aoun on the composition of any new government — a requirement that has stymied not only Hariri’s near-nine-month attempt, but also that of Mustapha Adib, a diplomat selected as premier-designate in the aftermath of the devastating Beirut port explosion.
Lebanon has been run by a caretaker cabinet since last August, but such governments are legally unable to make major decisions — a growing problem as the country slides deeper into a multitude of crises. Foreign donors have also conditioned major aid packages on reforms, which only a fully empowered government can legally enact.
Lebanon’s national currency has lost over 90 percent of its exchange value since the beginning of the crisis two years ago. This has pushed inflation into triple digits in the import-based economy, immiserating those without access to foreign currency. Banks have also severely restricted withdrawals, effectively impoverishing some retirees and those formerly in the middle class. Amid the economic chaos, increasingly severe shortages of basic goods, including medicine and fuel, have reduced basic health, logistics and electricity capacity. The next premier and cabinet will be tasked with solving this web of crises.
Mikati first became prime minister in the aftermath of a very different crisis: the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, Saad Hariri’s father, in 2005. That cabinet had a narrow mandate of conducting elections, only lasting three months until it was relieved by Siniora’s first government. Mikati returned to the Grand Serail in 2011 following the collapse of Hariri’s first government. He is also a billionaire MP for Tripoli and longtime former public works minister.