Who is next Lebanese prime minister? What Hezbollah and Amal think of?

Aoun, supported by Hezbollah in recent elections, became the 13th Lebanon president in a parliamentary voting.

Aoun, 81, secured the presidency by winning the support of 83 MPs, well above the absolute majority of 65 needed to win, according to a tally of votes read out on televised broadcast from parliament on Monday.

The new president on Monday issued his first order after moving to al Baabda Palace.

He commissioned Tammam Saeb Salam to continue with his mission as long as the new government has not been formed.

Salam will be responsible as of today to handle routine and most essential state affairs until formation of the new government.

Observers say that Aoun has on the recommendation of his aides and advisors decided to form the new government speedily after deciding the prime minister.

The question is who will be the next prime minister?

Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, announced last night that his party fraction in Lebanese Parliament will support ex-prime minister, Saad Hariri, as new Prime Minister.

Aoun told OTV before elections and after meeting with Hariri that if he became the president, naturally Saad al-Hariri would be the Lebanese prime minister.

Secretary General of Hizbollah Seyed Hassan Nasrallah said in his recent speech that from the standpoint of Hezbollah there is no impediment on the way of Hariri to become the prime minister.

Head of the Amal Movement and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also said earlier that he would stand by Haririr.

Meanwhile, talking to LBC TV, Hariri implicitly confirmed the possibility to become Prime Minister and yesterday after election of Aoun as president, he announced in a speech that he would consider consultations and goodwill proposals so that Lebanon will have a national unity government.

But are they enough for Hariri to become Lebanese prime minister?

Lebanese daily al-Akhbar wrote on its Tuesday edition that Hezbollah will not support Saad Hariri to become the prime minister.

It said that majority of Lebanese political groups and Saad Hariri himself believe he will be responsible to form the new government during the six-year presidential term of Michel Aoun.

However, the stances of Amal Movement and Hezbollah on the issue are not definite, especially considering the fact that Hezbollah has decided to be at the same camp with Nabih Berri in the new national unity government, the daily said.

Aoun, enjoying support of fractions with wide spectrum of political parties, can be a moderate president who indicated in the oath-taking ceremony that he would please all the political groups.

General Aoun emphasized resistance and its role in liberation of Lebanon from occupation and its support for the country, the danger of Takfiri terrorism and the need to take pre-emptive and deterrent measure against terrorism.

Based on the report, all expectations and wild guesses in the past few weeks, especially after unwilling support of Hariri for Aoun, who was the choice of Hezbollah in the presidential election, point to the fact that Head of the al-Mustaqbal Pary will be in charge to form the new government.

All views are now shifted to al Baabda Palace both on Wednesday and Thursday and outcome of talks and consultations of Aoun with parliamentary fractions, including the two powerful fractions of Hezbollah and Liberation and Development, led by Nabih Berri. The two fractions have not yet issued any statement on the next prime minister of Lebanon.

Al-Akhbar wrote that Hezbollah Fraction will not support Saad Hariri as new prime minister of Lebanon for the following reasons:
1. Hezbollah and General Aoun agreed that Hezbollah is not committed to his agreements with Hariri and Seyed Hassan Nasrallah's leniency was only aimed at preventing any obstacle on the way of Hariri getting assigned to form the government.

2.Hariri's aggressive stance on Resistance has not yet stopped.

3.Hariri's stance on Syria conflict and the support of his regional allies in helping the armed groups fighting against Hezbollah in Syria.

Focusing on the stance of Lebanese speaker, al-Akhbar quoted sources close to Berri as saying that he made no decision to assign prime minister to form a new government.

They say though head of the al-Mustaqbal Movement Nabih Berri is accused of harming him in the presidential election, it is expected that he would support Hariri.

Another Lebanese daily, Al-Jumhuriah, wrote that Berri believes that General Aoun has been elected as president and Hariri will this week be in charge of forming a new government.

The daily says the result of the first round of president elections gave a clear message to General Aoun and Saad Hariri: The key to quorum in parliament lies in hand of whose party? Whey did it not play with and opened the door open for talks and the chance for extensive participation of all the Lebanese in the new government and in the new stage.

The daily said Hezbollah and Nabih Berri do not intend to create any obstacle for General Aoun but their goal is besieging Saad Hariri and forcing him to pay more cost.

It added that Nabih Berri will soon put many demands to the new prime minister because he does know that formation of government without him and Hezbollah is almost unlikely and Hariri will receive a deadly blow in the parliamentary elections.

Al Jomhouriah said General Aoun and the new prime minister do understand the volume of challenges, so they will try to cooperate with Nabih Berri, the parliament speaker, so that the wheels of the new era of Lebanon will speedily move.
Author: Fardin Pazouki
Translated by Behnaz Hossein Gholipour
Editor: Safar Sarabi
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