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Beirut – Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany, Mustafa Adib, stood for his candidacy as prime minister in official consultations on Monday, after receiving political support from the Sunni Future Movement.
The post of prime minister in Lebanon should go to a Sunni Muslim under the sectarian power-sharing system. Hassan Diab’s government resigned earlier this month after the catastrophic explosion at the Beirut port that killed 190 people.
Lebanon is experiencing a financial crisis that has devastated the economy and is seen as the greatest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.
And if the process continues without last-minute complications, Adeeb will be nominated ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Beirut on Monday. Macron is leading efforts to pressure Lebanese leaders to reform.
The Movement of the Future, led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, announced its support for Adeeb after a meeting of its parliamentary bloc on Sunday.
A senior Shiite political source said that the Hezbollah bloc and the Amal Movement will also name Adeeb as prime minister in parliamentary consultations.
President Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian ally of Hezbollah, will have to nominate the candidate with the most support among MPs in Monday’s consultations.
The process of forming the new government will begin once the nomination is made. Until a new government is agreed, the Diab government will continue to do business.
President Michel Aoun declared on Sunday that the time for change had come and called for Lebanon to be declared a “civil status”.
In a speech to the Lebanese people on the centenary of the declaration of the state of Greater Lebanon, Aoun said: “Because I believe that the civil state alone is capable of protecting, preserving and making pluralism a true unity, I ask that the Lebanon be declared a civil status. “
He promised to “convene a dialogue that includes spiritual authorities and political leaders to arrive at a formula acceptable to all, and that is translated with the appropriate constitutional modifications.”
He added: “Lebanon’s transformation from the prevailing sectarian system to the modern civil status, the status of the citizen and citizenship, means its salvation from the hateful legacies of sectarianism and its backlash, and its salvation from sanctuaries, red lines, and quotas that restrict any constructive will and slow down any step towards reform. “
Aoun noted that “Lebanon’s youth are calling for change. Their voices are everywhere calling for system change, so should we listen to them? These youth are the next Lebanon, and for their sake and for their future, I say yes. , it’s time “to take this step.
Macron, the first head of state to visit Lebanon after the terrible explosion that struck the port of Beirut on August 4 and held the political class accused of corruption responsible, urged Lebanese officials to initiate structural political reforms.
On Friday, Macron pointed out that “the restrictions imposed by the sectarian system” that “if added – to put it conservatively – to the relevant interests”, “lead to a situation in which there is almost no (political) renewal and where there is almost an impossibility to carry out reforms “.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah announced on Sunday that the party is open to discussing the French proposal to reach a “new political contract” in Lebanon, provided it is “with the will and consent of the various Lebanese factions” .
On Sunday, Aoun admitted that “the sectarian system based on the rights of the sects and the quotas between them was valid for some time, but today it has become an obstacle to any development and any reactivation of the country, an obstacle to any reform. and fight against corruption, and a generator of contention, incitement and division for all who want to hit the country. “
