Ex-minister Safadi emerges new pick for Lebanon PM
Lebanese parties have agreed to nominate Mohammad Safadi, a wealthy Lebanese businessman and former inance minister, to become prime minister, media reports say.
According to Press TV, they said the 75-year-old, who has had extensive business ties to Saudi Arabia, has agreed to accept the post if he wins the support of all the main parties in the country.
“I confirm that we have been in contact with minister Safadi and he has agreed to take on the position of prime minister if his name gets agreement with the main political forces in government,” Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Friday.
Bassil said the process of formally nominating Safadi for prime minister will occur on Monday when formal discussions on forming the next government begin in parliament.
Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29 following two weeks of unprecedented nationwide protests against corruption and incompetence.
Since October 17, people have been holding protest rallies in Beirut and other cities to express discontent with the government’s failure to find solutions for their economic woes.
The unprecedented protests, which ultimately forced Hariri to resign on October 29, were triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and online phone calls, such as with WhatsApp.
Under the constitution, Hariri’s cabinet would stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.
The consensus on Safadi emerged in a meeting late Thursday between Hariri and representatives of Hezbollah and Amal parties, reports said.
Sources reportedly familiar with details of the meeting said Hariri had expressed no objections to Safadi’s nomination and agreement in principle on Safadi’s nomination had emerged at the meeting.
Safadi is a prominent businessman and former member of parliament from the predominantly Sunni city of Tripoli. He was finance minister from 2011 to 2014 under Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and was also previously minister of economy and trade.
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