Politics Nauaf Salam to become head of government in Lebanon
A few days after the election of a new president in Lebanon, the political factions have agreed on Nauaf Salam as the designated prime minister. Following consultations between the major camps and President Joseph Aoun in Beirut, Salam received 84 out of 128 votes from parliamentarians, as announced by the Director General of the Presidential Palace. He can thus begin the formation of a new government and replace Najib Mikati, who has only been in office for more than two years due to a political crisis in the country. Salam is due to arrive in Lebanon on Tuesday.
13.01.2025, 18:35
SDA
Salam was appointed President of the International Court of Justice in The Hague just under a year ago. Previously, he was Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations and a member of a commission to reform electoral law in Lebanon. The 71-year-old comes from a prominent political family and studied law and politics in Beirut, Cambridge (USA) and Paris. He is married to a journalist who served as Lebanon's ambassador to UNESCO and has two sons.
Defeat for Hezbollah
Salam's appointment is a further setback for Hezbollah, which has been severely weakened after more than a year of war with Israel. Hezbollah and its allies had opposed Salam's appointment just as they had opposed Aoun's election as head of state. The election of Aoun, who is supported by the USA and Saudi Arabia among others, marked a shift in the political balance of power in Lebanon: the influence of Iranian-backed Hezbollah has declined. A ceasefire was agreed between Hezbollah and Israel in November.
In Lebanon, which is divided along sectarian lines, power is traditionally divided among the religious groups according to a system of proportional representation. Accordingly, the president should always be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni and the speaker of parliament a Shiite.
