Mon 31 August 2020:
Amid the political deadlock gripping Lebanon, Lebanon’s Ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib looks set to be designated prime minister at formal consultations Monday after winning political backing from the main Sunni Muslim party, the Future Movement.
Former Prime Ministers Naiib Mikati, Fouad Siniora, Saad Hariri and Tamam Salam, announced in a statement on Sunday that they have agreed to nominate Ambassador Mustapha Adib to head the next government, according to the National News Agency NNA.
They hoped in their statement that “Adib would be named with the highest number of votes from the parliamentary blocs and representatives,” stressing the need for a speedy government formation and drafting of its ministerial statement “without delay.”
Meanwhile, both Shia groups Hezbollah and Amal will also nominate Adib to be the next prime minister, according to a senior Shia source, Reuters reported.
Adib is Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany.
Adib’s name was put forward by the Future Movement led by Saad Hariri.
The presidency has called for parliamentary consultations on Monday to designate a new premier, who must be a Sunni Muslim under the country’s sectarian power-sharing system.
Premier Hassan Diab’s cabinet had resigned over Beirut port blast on August 4, which was blamed on a store of ammonium nitrate left for years in a port warehouse despite warnings.
In a related development, French President Emmanuel Macron will be in Lebanon on Monday and Tuesday for his second visit in less than a month after the the blast which killed 190 people, as per latest toll, and revived calls for radical change in the country.
Macron on Friday warned that Lebanon risks a return to civil war if it is left alone to deal with the crisis that followed the explosion.
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