Lebanon PM-designate begins government talks as Hezbollah, Amal weigh boycott

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate, Nawaf Salam, started the first round of non-binding consultations with parliamentary blocs to gather their input on forming a new government.

The Shiite blocs of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah are reportedly leaning toward boycotting the consultations. Meanwhile, intensive discussions are underway with Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, at multiple levels.

French President, Emmanuel Macron, who is scheduled to visit Lebanon on Friday, has contacted Berri in an effort to de-escalate tensions and encourage the two factions to engage in the state-building process.

In turn, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, speaking after a meeting between the Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc and Salam highlighted the bloc’s key demands for the upcoming ministerial statement, which include implementing United Nations Resolution 1701, adhering to the ceasefire agreement, and extending the Lebanese state’s authority over its entire territory.

The second round is scheduled to begin at 03:00 pm.

On Monday, the Lebanese President conducted mandatory parliamentary consultations, during which members of parliament named, Nawaf Salam, as Prime Minister-designate with a majority of 84 votes, compared to nine for outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati and 35 abstentions.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, which collectively represent all 28 seats allocated to the Shia community out of the 128 total seats in Parliament, refrained from nominating a candidate despite previously endorsing Mikati.

Following the mandatory parliamentary consultations, Mohammad Raad, head of the "Loyalty to the Resistance" bloc (Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc), stated that “some are trying to sow division and exclusion. We took a positive step when electing the president, and we had hoped to meet the hand that has always claimed to be extended, but today it has been cut off.”

“Now, we simply and calmly assert that it is their right to live through their experience, and it is our right to demand a constitutional government, as any authority that contradicts coexistence has no legitimacy,” Raad added.

After being named Prime Minister-designate, Salam outlined his vision for Lebanon’s future, pledging to establish a “just state for all Lebanese” and to “extend the state’s sovereignty across the entirety of Lebanese territory.”

Nawaf Salam, born in 1953, is a Lebanese judge, diplomat, and academic. He served as Lebanon’s permanent representative to the United Nations for 10 years and represented his country on the UN Security Council. On February 6, 2024, he was elected president of the International Court of Justice court for a three-year term.