Lebanon MPs appoint new PM-designate to form government

Lebanon’s new Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati today said he would work to form a government and implement a French plan to save the country from its crippling financial crisis, Reuters reported.

“I don’t have a magic wand and can’t perform miracles… but I have studied the situation for a while and have international guarantees,” Mikati said after he won a majority of votes in parliamentary consultations to be nominated.

France’s plan includes a government of specialists capable of initiating enough reforms to attract foreign aid.

Mikati received 73 votes out of 118 members of parliament and was appointed the country’s new prime minister-designate.

His predecessor, Saad Hariri, stepped down earlier this month after failing to form a government for months. He had been in deadlock with President Michael Aoun over his choice of ministers.

For nearly a year, Lebanon has been governed by an interim government after Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s cabinet resigned in the wake of the deadly Beirut port explosion in August 2020.

READ: Lebanon Sunni leaders endorse tycoon Mikati to form new government