Hariri on track to become Lebanon's PM for third time

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President Michel Aoun on Thursday designated Saad al-Hariri to be Lebanon's next prime minister and asked him to form a new government, a televised statement from the president's office said.

Hariri's name was put forward by 111 out of 128 members of Lebanon's new parliament during consultations held on Thursday with Aoun.

Hariri won the support of nearly all the MPs in the new parliament during consultations with Aoun, reflecting his status as the top Sunni politician despite his steep losses in the election.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun casts his ballot during parliamentary elections, in Beirut, Lebanon, May 6, 2018. /Reuters Photo

"All the main parliamentary blocs have agreed on the need to form a national unity government as fast as possible in light of the growing regional dangers around us and domestic economic and financial pressures," Hariri said after meeting Aoun.

Hariri lost more than a third of his seats, mostly to Hezbollah and Hezbollah-aligned groups. The staunchly anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, a Christian party, nearly doubled its MPs to 15.

Hezbollah is designated a terrorist group by the United States, and Washington has singled out the group in its new policy against Iran since withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal this month.

Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri reacts at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, May 24, 2018. /VCG Photo

The US administration last week imposed new sanctions targeting Hezbollah's two senior officials, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Naim Qassem, and a major financier for the group.

Hariri said the new government must recommit to a policy of "dissociation" from regional conflicts and establish the best relations with Arab states.

On May 6, Lebanon held its first parliamentary elections since 2009. Hariri's Sunni-dominated political movement lost a third of its seats in parliament, while Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah made significant gains.

Hariri was prime minister of Lebanon from November 2009 to June 2011, and again served as prime minister since December 2016.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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