The Fort Worth Press - Lebanon's president names ICJ judge Nawaf Salam prime minister

USD -
AED 3.672974
AFN 71.467862
ALL 91.374972
AMD 391.159852
ANG 1.790208
AOA 916.99999
ARS 1072.796802
AUD 1.59738
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.699222
BAM 1.811219
BBD 2.018475
BDT 121.482648
BGN 1.801199
BHD 0.376971
BIF 2926
BMD 1
BND 1.343366
BOB 6.907601
BRL 5.666296
BSD 0.999699
BTN 85.449031
BWP 13.836501
BYN 3.271549
BYR 19600
BZD 2.008011
CAD 1.424395
CDF 2871.000269
CHF 0.877785
CLF 0.024908
CLP 955.840257
CNY 7.268099
CNH 7.32665
COP 4151.25
CRC 502.211006
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 102.050275
CZK 22.900974
DJF 177.719787
DKK 6.85017
DOP 63.325024
DZD 134.017044
EGP 50.5842
ERN 15
ETB 129.85013
EUR 0.918105
FJD 2.32785
FKP 0.773835
GBP 0.767135
GEL 2.760097
GGP 0.773835
GHS 15.509726
GIP 0.773835
GMD 71.498917
GNF 8655.000325
GTQ 7.712361
GYD 209.774732
HKD 7.78445
HNL 25.755019
HRK 6.910601
HTG 131.01197
HUF 368.340121
IDR 16745.85
ILS 3.700289
IMP 0.773835
INR 85.65165
IQD 1310
IRR 42112.509086
ISK 132.110442
JEP 0.773835
JMD 157.858912
JOD 0.708978
JPY 148.062988
KES 129.495264
KGS 86.770498
KHR 3959.999612
KMF 453.49364
KPW 900.019816
KRW 1469.750201
KWD 0.30813
KYD 0.833098
KZT 503.1093
LAK 21664.999533
LBP 89600.000341
LKR 295.853495
LRD 199.849684
LSL 18.479641
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.830096
MAD 9.586497
MDL 17.928831
MGA 4664.999743
MKD 56.691557
MMK 2099.510008
MNT 3481.383862
MOP 8.014354
MRU 39.850258
MUR 45.7503
MVR 15.410067
MWK 1736.000132
MXN 20.270498
MYR 4.4675
MZN 63.900609
NAD 18.480191
NGN 1537.22005
NIO 36.749936
NOK 10.411485
NPR 136.71845
NZD 1.74756
OMR 0.384936
PAB 0.999699
PEN 3.676986
PGK 4.038496
PHP 57.074972
PKR 280.197632
PLN 3.837961
PYG 8003.148658
QAR 3.64075
RON 4.569098
RSD 107.587006
RUB 84.248805
RWF 1415
SAR 3.751198
SBD 8.326764
SCR 14.351739
SDG 600.515731
SEK 9.87528
SGD 1.347155
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.829842
SLL 20969.501083
SOS 571.499354
SRD 36.599498
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.746788
SYP 13002.468687
SZL 18.480143
THB 34.360248
TJS 10.911398
TMT 3.51
TND 3.097499
TOP 2.342099
TRY 37.960199
TTD 6.782581
TWD 33.250501
TZS 2639.957983
UAH 41.341606
UGX 3645.961151
UYU 42.127197
UZS 12935.000068
VES 69.92661
VND 25630
VUV 123.375609
WST 2.83707
XAF 607.466025
XAG 0.029678
XAU 0.000317
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.755479
XOF 606.516576
XPF 110.349823
YER 245.650464
ZAR 18.953355
ZMK 9001.203963
ZMW 27.865626
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    68

    0%

  • CMSD

    0.0100

    22.83

    +0.04%

  • SCS

    0.1400

    11.46

    +1.22%

  • GSK

    -0.2300

    37.64

    -0.61%

  • CMSC

    0.0600

    22.5

    +0.27%

  • NGG

    0.0000

    65.78

    0%

  • AZN

    -0.3800

    72.22

    -0.53%

  • BP

    0.0000

    33.81

    0%

  • RIO

    -0.3300

    59.9

    -0.55%

  • BTI

    -0.8500

    40.25

    -2.11%

  • RELX

    0.3100

    50.98

    +0.61%

  • RYCEF

    -0.2700

    9.78

    -2.76%

  • JRI

    0.0600

    13.04

    +0.46%

  • BCE

    -0.9600

    21.82

    -4.4%

  • BCC

    3.1600

    102.07

    +3.1%

  • VOD

    -0.1500

    9.12

    -1.64%

Lebanon's president names ICJ judge Nawaf Salam prime minister
Lebanon's president names ICJ judge Nawaf Salam prime minister / Photo: © AFP

Lebanon's president names ICJ judge Nawaf Salam prime minister

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday picked international jurist Nawaf Salam to form a government for the war-scarred country and pull it out of economic crisis.

Text size:

A majority of Lebanese lawmakers endorsed Nawaf Salam, the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, after two years of caretaker government.

"The president of the republic called on Judge Nawaf Salam to task him with forming a government, knowing that he is currently abroad. It has been decided he will return tomorrow," the presidency said.

Aoun, whose election last week ended a two-year vacancy for the post, held consultations with lawmakers ahead of announcing his nominee.

By Monday afternoon, 84 members of parliament told Aoun they backed Salam, according to a tally by Lebanese media, with nine endorsing Najib Mikati who has served as prime minister in a caretaker capacity.

Aoun's election last week was made possible in part by the weakening of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in a war with Israel.

With the prime minister named by the president, the eastern Mediterranean country has been run by a caretaker government for more than two years amid a crushing economic crisis.

Under Lebanon's power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the parliament speaker a Shiite Muslim.

- 'Change' -

Salam's backers view the judge and former ambassador as an impartial figure able to carry out much-needed reforms, a contrast to Mikati regarded by critics as under Hezbollah's influence.

Lawmaker George Adwan of Christian party the Lebanese Forces said after meeting Aoun and endorsing Salam that it was time for Hezbollah to focus on "political work".

"The era of weapons is over," Adwan told reporters.

Hezbollah ended a deadly war against Israel this autumn bruised and weakened. Under a ceasefire deal, the group must pull its fighters from areas of southern Lebanon near the Israeli border as the national army -- until last week under Aoun's command -- and UN peacekeepers deploy there.

Hezbollah also lost a key ally in neighbouring Syria when Islamist-led forces toppled president Bashar al-Assad last month.

Independent lawmaker Melhem Khalaf said he backed Salam as a candidate of change.

A source close to Hezbollah had told AFP that the movement and its ally Amal movement supported Mikati.

The Monday front page of Al-Akhbar, a newspaper close to Hezbollah, said Salam's nomination would be tantamount to a "complete US coup", after Washington had backed Aoun for president.

- 'Two options' -

In his inaugural speech on Thursday, Aoun said his election as president would usher in a "new phase" for the country.

Lebanese university professor Ali Mrad said support for Salam's nomination reflected "the real changes that Lebanon is experiencing".

"Today there are two options in the country: a serious reform option, called Nawaf Salam, and an option that takes us back, called Najib Mikati," he said.

Some opposition lawmakers on Saturday threw their weight behind anti-Hezbollah lawmaker and businessman Fouad Makhzoumi, but on Monday he withdrew to allow consensus around Salam.

Whoever heads Lebanon's new government will face major challenges, including implementing reforms to satisfy international donors amid the country's worst economic crisis in its history.

They will also face the daunting task of reconstructing swathes of the country after the Israel-Hezbollah war and implementing the November 27 ceasefire agreement.

According to Lebanon's constitution, the president designates the prime minister after talks with all political parties and independent lawmakers in parliament. By convention, he chooses the candidate with the most votes during these consultations.

Nominating a premier does not guarantee a new government will be formed imminently.

The process has previously taken weeks or even months due to deep political divisions and horse-trading.

T.Dixon--TFWP