Former Minister of Finance and Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund, Jihad Azour. (Credit: Karim Sahib/AFP/File)
BEIRUT — Former Lebanese Minister of Finance and Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund, Jihad Azour, has temporarily suspended his functions at the IMF as his unofficial candidacy for the Lebanese presidential elections was announced and supported by several local political factions.
This information was confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour by a source close to the matter.
Several local Lebanese media outlets cited IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack, stating that Azour has temporarily suspended his functions and obtained unpaid leave "in order to avoid any suspicion of conflict of interest."
The statement further indicates that Azour "has actively participated in the leadership of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department since 2017, but he is now taking leave to focus on his candidacy" for the Lebanese presidency.
Lebanon has been without a president since the departure of Michel Aoun on October 31, 2022. The main Christian parties, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, have announced their support for Jihad Azour in the presidential elections, along with other opposition groups, some independent MPS, and others from the Forces of change.
On the other side, Hezbollah and the Amal movement are advocating Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh as candidate.
The twelfth electoral session is scheduled to take place on June 14 in Parliament, as previous sessions have failed to elect a president. These sessions have been held since September 2022 and have always resulted in a lack of quorum before the second round of voting, with some MPs leaving the chamber between the first and second rounds.