Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, at the presidential palace in Baabda Lebanon, June 23, 2022. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
BEIRUT — Opposition party Taqaddom, which includes MPs Mark Daou and Najat Aoun on Friday criticized the “the unconvincing excuses of some [parliamentary] blocs and MPs who voted for the establishment candidate [Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati] in an indirect way through not naming anyone.”
Here’s what we know:
• On Thursday, Mikati was elected prime minister-designate by members of Parliament for another term with 54 votes. Mikati won by a huge margin over his main rival for the position, Nawaf Salam.
• In a statement, Taqaddom said that those who didn’t name anyone “could have communicated with Judge Salam to negotiate with him and look into his plan.” More MPs chose not to vote for anyone in protest against the available options than voted for Salam.
• Taqaddom also said that “a wide meeting was held with a number of MPs for change and judge Salam in the past days… and an agreement was made regarding the priorities which aligned with our choices which was mentioned in the statement of MPs for change during the parliamentary consultations.”
• During the consultations, Daou, Aoun and eight other opposition MPs voted for Salam, while MPs Halime El Kaakour, Cynthia Zarazir and Elias Jaradeh chose not to vote for anyone.