French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he “congratulated Nawaf Salam on his appointment as prime minister and wished him every success in forming a government at the service of all Lebanese. After the election of President Joseph Aoun, hope for change is rising for Lebanon.”
Over the weekend, Mikati was estimated to have 50 votes secured for the role of prime minister, which can only be held by a Sunni Muslim. He had the support from Hezbollah and Amal and the majority of Sunnis in the house, while, opposing this bloc, 31 MPs of the so-called restricted opposition (around the Lebanese Forces) were supporting one of their own: businessman and MP Fouad Makhzoumi.
Instead, in a turn of events, Salam's name emerged as a last minute candidate. On Sunday, he announced that he "was ready" to assume the function of prime minister, throwing what had appeared predictable into uncertainty.
Read about the last minute maneuvers leading up to today's events here. 👈
The former French ambassador to the United States also expressed his support for Nawaf Salam: “He was my colleague on the Security Council and a friend. The embodiment of righteousness, courageous, cultured and warm, he is a chance for Lebanon. Let's support him,” he wrote in a post that was published even before Salam was officially appointed.
According to a statement circulating in local media, President Joseph Aoun has said, of Salam's appointment, “The first step has been taken and I hope that the composition will go smoothly as soon as possible, as great opportunities are opening up for us.”
Former prime minister Saad Hariri wrote a message on X in the wake of Salam's appointment, saying, “Congratulations to Lebanon on the appointment of friend Nawaf Salam as head of government,” adding that he believes the appointment to be complementary to Joseph Aoun's election as Lebanese president last Thursday.
He called on “all forces in the country to unite under the roof of legitimacy,” and called for an end to policies of “division, malice and intimidation.” He also extended his thanks to outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati for the role he played in this “exceptional stage in our country's history.”
Mohammad Choucair, president of the employers' organization of economic bodies, congratulated Nawaf Salam on his appointment as prime minister.
In a message posted on X, the former minister wished him “success in forming a reformist and rescue government that will, with [President Joseph Aoun], lead the country towards new horizons that meet the aspirations of the Lebanese. He also “hoped that the parliamentary blocs and political forces would unite and facilitate the process of forming the next government.”
The European Union's ambassador to Lebanon, Sandra De Waele, also sent her congratulations to Nawaf Salam on X. “It is encouraging to see things moving forward in Lebanon. We hope that a government will soon be formed to launch the necessary reforms and relaunch state institutions, in the interests of all Lebanese,” she wrote.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
House Speaker Nabih Berri left the presidential palace without making a statement.
In a statement, outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he had contacted his successor Nawaf Salam, who is currently in The Hague, to wish him “good luck” in forming a government that would “live up” to the objectives set out in President Aoun's inauguration speech last Thursday and to the aspirations of the Lebanese people.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
⚡ Director General of the Presidency Antoine Choucair confirmed that President Aoun has contacted Nawaf Salam to formally ask him to form a government. Choucair also indicated that Salam was abroad (Salam, as president of the ICJ, is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands) and expected to arrive in Lebanon tomorrow. In the official decree, he specified that Nawaf Salam had obtained 84 votes, against nine for Mikati and 35 blank votes.
A meeting is scheduled for noon tomorrow at the Presidential Palace in Baabda between President Joseph Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and newly appointed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. It will be followed by another meeting solely between Aoun and Salam, during which they will discuss the formation of the new government.
Parliament's binding parliamentary consultations have now come to a close.
Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice, won the absolute majority of votes with 85 nominations, against nine for Najib Mikati and 34 blank votes.
MPs from the Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party, the National Entente, Tachnag, the Renewal Bloc, Jamaa Islamiya and the opposition nominated Salam, while MPs from Hezbollah and Amal did not nominate anyone.
The Beirut Madinati political movement called for celebrations at 6.30 p.m. in Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut to mark the appointment of Nawaf Salam, who has won more than an absolute majority for the post of Lebanese prime minister.
In a post shared on X, the group, composed mainly of figures from civil society, presented themselves as a counterpoint to the corrupt candidates of other Lebanese political parties, and “congratulated Lebanon and its people.”
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal parliamentary bloc, the last to speak today, did not name anyone as their choice for prime minister. MP Ayoub Hmayed gave a very brief speech explaining that the decision was taken on the basis that there should be no contradiction between respect for the National Pact and coexistence between communities.
This concludes the voting process and leaves Nawaf Salam with 85 votes, outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati with nine and 34 ballots cast blank.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
MPs from the Neemat Frem parliamentary bloc, Jamil Abboud and Nabil Badr, also nominated Nawaf Salam for the post of prime minister.
They also called for the swift formation of a government in line with what was announced in newly elected President Joseph Aoun's inaugural speech. Nawaf Salam now has 84 votes.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
The Renewal parliamentary bloc, made up of Sunni MPs Fouad Makhzoumi and Achraf Rifi, as well as Christian MP Michel Mouawad, gave its vote to Nawaf Salam, who now has 81 votes, against nine for Mikati and 19 blank ballots.
Fouad Makhzoumi and Achraf Rifi both withdrew their candidacies in favor of Nawaf Salam. The bloc called for a government of “radical change.”

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
The deputies of the Tachnag party, from the Armenian community in Lebanon, also chose Nawaf Salam, considering themselves part of the “broad consensus” around his candidacy.
This brings Salam's votes to 78, with nine for Mikati and 19 ballots cast blank.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
The Forces of Change parliamentary blob which emerged from the popular protest movement and has MPs Marc Daoud, Waddah Sadek and Michel Douiehy in Parliament, has appointed Nawaf Salam as prime minister.
This brings Salam's votes to 76, with nine for Mikati and 19 ballots cast blank.
✅ The tally of votes now stands at 73 votes for Nawaf Salam, nine for Nagib Mikati and 19 blank votes, including 15 from the Hezbollah bloc.
Hezbollah's parliamentary group did not nominate a candidate and refused to answer questions at its press briefing.
Speaking on behalf of the bloc, Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad told reporters that the members of his party were sorry about the tendency of some to want to “harm the image of understanding of the mandate” and spread division.
He also considered Aoun's election a “positive step,” but added that he was waiting for an outstretched hand that never came. He also claimed the right to demand a “government in line with the national pact.”

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
The “National Accord” parliamentary bloc of which Tripoli MP Faycal Karame is the leader, has announced that it is appointing Nawaf Salam as prime minister.
✅ This brings Salam's total number of votes to 73, with Mikati still at nine and four ballots cast blank. The National Accord bloc said its decision was based on that its popular base is calling for “renewal,” while demanding a “government that excludes no one.”

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The Independent National Bloc, which includes MPs Farid al-Khazen, Tony Frangieh and Melhem Tawk, announced that it had not nominated a candidate to avoid “further divisions” on the political scene.
✅ The tally is now 68 votes for Nawaf Salam, nine for Nagib Mikati and four blank votes.
According to LBCI, Nawaf Salam will leave The Hague, where he is serving as president of the International Court of Justice, this evening and arrive in Baabda on Tuesday morning.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has arrived in Baabda where he joined members of his parliamentary bloc.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The leader of the Kataeb, MP Samy Gemayel, called on all parties to participate in building a new Lebanese state. He also stressed that there was no question of sidelining “anyone.”
The Kataeb also nominated Nawaf Salam for the post of Prime Minister.
According to LBCI, it is not yet clear whether the vote of the Vice-President of Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, was carried over to this candidate, as were the other former Aounist deputies.
Including Elias Bou Saab, the tally is 68 votes for Nawaf Salam, a total that is more than half the number of deputies in the hemicycle.
⚡ Members of Nabih Berri's bloc, the other component of the Shiite tandem, have also arrived in Baabda.
⚡ Members of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc have arrived in Baabda.
The FPM elders reiterated their support for Joseph Aoun's mandate and his inaugural speech, and consequently appointed Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister, according to Ibrahim Kanaan's statement.
This vote includes that of the Vice-President of Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, bringing to 64 the number of votes in favor of Nawaf Salam, against 9 for Najib Mikati and 1 blank vote.
MP Ahmad Baydoun, from Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Liberation and Development bloc, has arrived in Baabda.
According to political sources contacted by Reuters, Nawaf Salam has obtained the support of a sufficient number of MPs to be appointed Prime Minister.
According to our count at this stage, Nawaf Salam received 60 votes, against 9 for Najib Mikati and 2 blank votes.
The National Moderation bloc, made up of former Haririans, gave its support to Nawaf Salam's candidacy, contrary to what they had previously implied.
The Rassemblement Démocratique bloc, chaired by Progressive Socialist Party leader Taymour Joumblatt, appointed Nawaf Salam as President of the Council of Ministers and wished him “good luck” in forming the government quickly. He also expressed his bloc's support for President Aoun's action.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The parliamentary group of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) also nominated Nawaf Salam.
Following the meeting between the bloc and Joseph Aoun, the party's leader, MP Gebran Bassil, spoke of a “natural choice,” referring in particular to the ICJ President's stance on UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and his willingness to launch reforms. Bassil also stressed that his party would stand “alongside the mandate” and not in opposition.
Responding to journalists' questions at the press briefing, FPM leader Gebran Bassil assured them that his party had taken its decision “without being pressured.” He did not immediately specify whether his party would join the opposition or consider joining the government.
“The Strong Republic,” the Lebanese Forces (LF) bloc, nominates Nawaf Salam for the presidency of the Council. MP Georges Adwan, speaking on behalf of the bloc, commented that “a new hope has returned to all Lebanese by listening to the President's speech, as he has turned the page on an old phase marked by its tragedies and problems”, thus justifying not nominating Najib Mikati.
MP Michel al-Murr (Metn) nominated Najib Mikati.
Independent MPs Yassine Yassine and Georges Bouchikian were received by Joseph Aoun.
The former, a member of the protest movement, appointed Nawaf Salam, while the latter, who is also the caretaker Industry Ministry, appointed Najib Mikati.
President Aoun resumed his consultations with deputies with a view to appointing the future Prime Minister.
He received Yassine Yassine at 2 p.m.
Aoun is due to hold talks with four independent MPs, including Yassine, before beginning to receive the parliamentary groups, starting with those of Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces.
Joseph Aoun received a high-ranking American military delegation at Baabda Palace, reports the official National News Agency (NNA). The delegation included Michael Kurilla, Commander of the U.S. Army's Central Command for the Middle East (Centcom).
The meeting took place during several hours of recess, in a day marked in Baabda by binding parliamentary consultations, at the end of which the Lebanese Prime Minister is to be appointed.
The Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmad Aboul Gheit, on tour in Beirut, hoped at the end of a meeting at the Grand Serail for “agreement” on the appointment of the future Prime Minister, following binding parliamentary consultations. Following this appointment, “the pillars of the Lebanese state will be complete and, with these elements in place, Lebanon will be ready to embark on a new phase to resolve and overcome its many problems,” according to the Arab League's Secretary General, accompanied on his tour by his deputy, Houssam Zaki.
Aboul Gheit refused, however, to give his prognosis on the appointment of the future Prime Minister. “This is a decision for the Lebanese Parliament.”
Consultations will resume at 2 p.m., with meetings with four other independent MPs, then with the major parliamentary blocs, led by Hezbollah.
End of the first round of binding parliamentary consultations at the Baabda presidential palace. During these first hours of meetings, President Aoun met with 21 independent MPs, out of a total of 128 parliamentarians.
They included
- 12 MPs announced their support for Nawaf Salam's candidacy to head the government.
- Seven MPs voted to keep outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati in his post.
- Only one member, the Deputy Parliament Speaker, Elias Bou Saab, did not name anyone.
Parliamentarian Firas Hamdan made the same choice, nominating Nawaf Salam, following a meeting with the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun. The MP explained that “the Lebanese are trying to turn the page on the past and are faced with clear choices between impunity and international justice, between corruption and integrity.”
Elias Jaradeh, MP for Marjayoun-Hasbaya and a member of the popular protest movement, also appointed Nawaf Salam to the presidency of the government, saying he had worked “tirelessly to remove all obstacles in order to reach a consensus on the judge.”
MPs Halima Kaakour and Najat Aoun, also from the protest movement, appointed Nawaf Salam.
MP Melhem Khalaf, speaking from Baabda, said he supported the appointment of Nawaf Salam “to ensure change.” “Since President Joseph Aoun comes from outside the class that has governed the country, it is necessary for people from this same sphere to join him,” he added.
L'Orient-Le Jour has learned that the six deputies of the National Moderation (mostly Sunni former Haririans), together with Nabil Badr and Ihab Matar, will nominate outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the binding parliamentary consultations in Baabda. These MPs fear that the Shiite tandem, Amal and Hezbollah, will boycott the government if the future Prime Minister is appointed without their votes.
Ibrahim Mneimneh, a member of parliament from the protest movement, appointed Nawaf Salam from Baabda, stressing that this was “an opportunity that must not be missed.” In line with President Joseph Aoun's inaugural speech, which “puts forward principles for which we have fought,” Mneimnej asserted that “we must guarantee consensus and make political objectives a reality.”
MP Cynthia Zarazir echoed this view, saying that Judge Nawaf Salam “is outside the ruling class.”
In a statement from Baabda, protest MP Paula Yacoubian announced that she had appointed Nawaf Salam.
Regarding the fact that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was not received at 8 a.m. by Joseph Aoun, as announced on the program circulated by the Presidency, a source familiar with the protocol quoted by the local channel Al-Jadeed indicated that “the name of the head of the legislature is placed at the top of the list for consultations for the honor, but Berri will go to Baabda Palace at the end of the day, to confer with President Aoun before the designation of the Prime Minister.”
Of the deputies who have so far been received in Baabda, five have announced that they have given President Aoun the name of Nawaf Salam, while seven have declared themselves in favor of keeping Najib Mikati. Only one deputy, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab, did not name anyone.
For his part, MP Jamil Sayed said he would only give his vote to Najib Mikati if it made the difference in the event of a tie between the two candidates.
Member of Parliament Charbel Massaad announced his support for Nawaf Salam's candidacy to head the government, stressing that Salam “cuts across the political divide, and the Lebanese people see in him a ray of hope.”
For his part, MP Bilal Hocheimi opted to “maintain” Najib Mikati as head of government, believing that this offers the necessary guarantees to ensure the country's stability, although he had “initially supported Fouad Makhzoumi's candidacy for the post.”
Meeting Joseph Aoun, MPs Abdelkarim Kabbara and Haidar Nasser, both from North Lebanon, nominated Najib Mikati.
Nasser also said that he had asked President Aoun to ensure that the Alawite community, from which he hails, was “represented in the future government.”
MP Ghassan Skaff announced his nomination of Najib Mikati, saying it was “in line with the internal, Arab and international atmosphere that led to Joseph Aoun's election.”
Sunni MP Jihad Samad (independent) nominated outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The latter “was able to preserve the continuity of Lebanese legitimacy and maintain ties between the country and the international community, despite the most difficult circumstances the country has been through,” said the MP for Dinnieh (North Lebanon).
MP Michel Daher said from Baabda that he supported the appointment of Nawaf Salam. “I am ready to cooperate with whoever presides over the government,” he said.
MP Oussama Saad has nominated Nawaf Salam for the presidency of the Council. His colleague Abderrahmane Bizri, MP for Saida, announced his support for Najib Mikati's candidacy. “It is our duty to work towards forming the first government of the mandate, so that it is drawn from the majority that brought President Joseph Aoun to the presidency,” declared Dr. Bizri.
For his part, Adib Abdel Massih said he would “follow the opposition's decision and appoint Nawaf Salam.” “We elected Joseph Aoun because he is a sovereignist who can save the country, so it's natural to choose a sovereignist, reformist Prime Minister who can save the country and complement the President.”
His colleague Jean Talouzian, for his part, announced the appointment of Najib Mikati.
Aoun has received several independent MPs since his meeting with Elias Bou Saab, while his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was postponed until the afternoon.
MP Jamil Sayed said on leaving Baabda that he had “told Joseph Aoun that if the number of votes is equal between Najib Mikati and Nawaf Salam, my vote will go to Mikati, but otherwise I'm not nominating anyone.” “I don't like the way Mikati works within the State, but I can't help recognizing that the way he managed the country over the last period was good,” he added.
Lebanon's caretaker Economy Minister, Amine Salam, voiced his support on X for Nawaf Salam's candidacy to head the government. According to him, Salam “is historically in line with the rights and legitimate causes of the people ... far from the daily political confrontations and the politics of axes.”
Following his meeting with Joseph Aoun, Elias Bou Saab decided not to nominate anyone for the presidency of the Council. “If we come to an agreement, I hope that a new page will be turned”, he declared as he left Baabda, wishing for a future Prime Minister "who forms a government that implements Joseph Aoun's investiture speech."
He regretted that the mood was not one of compromise, which was “different from what prevailed during the presidential election."
In a statement issued shortly before the start of the consultations, MP Fouad Makhzoumi announced that he was withdrawing from the race to avoid the opposition being divided between two candidates, saying he was doing so in favor of Nawaf Salam.
Joseph Aoun opened the binding parliamentary consultations with a meeting at 8 a.m. with Elias Bou Saab, Deputy Speaker of the House. He will then hold talks with Nabih Berri. This will be followed by individual meetings, lasting 10 minutes each, with around 20 independent MPs.
In his inaugural speech last Thursday, President Aoun also pledged to launch a number of projects with the future government, including the independence of the judiciary and the question of the state's monopoly on arms.
The future government will have to tackle a number of issues, including the reconstruction of regions devastated by the war between Hezbollah and Israel. It will also have to work on the recovery of a country devastated by an economic and financial crisis, in which major infrastructure reforms will be necessary in order to obtain aid from the international community and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Najib Mikati's government has been considered outgoing since the parliamentary elections of May 2022. After the elections, Mikati was again appointed Prime Minister by the then Head of State, Michel Aoun, but the two men were unable to agree on the formation of the new ministerial team. At the end of the presidential term, the cabinet remained in charge of current affairs, pending a new president and the launch of a new procedure for appointing a prime minister.
The Shiite tandem could push for the return of the caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati.
Ahead of the binding consultations, convened on Joseph Aoun's first day at the palace on Friday Jan. 10, the parliamentary groups were busy making their choices.
31 deputies from the Hezbollah opposition announced their support for the candidacy of their colleague Fouad Makhzoumi (Beirut II). However, early this morning, Makhzoumi announced his withdrawal from the race in favor of Nawaf Salam, current President of the International Court of Justice.
Although parliamentarian Marwan Hamadeh, a member of the “Rassemblement Démocratique” (Joumblattist), had hinted at his group's support for Nawaf Salam, the parliamentary bloc refused to make a decision after a meeting last night.
Welcome to our live coverage of this long day of binding parliamentary consultations at Baabda Palace, with a view to appointing a Prime Minister.
Over the next few hours, the parliamentary groups and deputies will be received by President Joseph Aoun and will inform him of their choice.
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