Lebanon president sets date for parliamentary consultations to choose new PM after Hariri resignation

Lebanon President Michel Aoun said parliamentary consultations will be held on Monday to nominate a new premier after Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stepped down last week.

جدول مواعيد الإستشارات النيابية لتسمية رئيس الحكومة يوم الإثنين ٢٦ تموز الجاري على الرابط التالي:https://t.co/Du3oBtPHJT

— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) July 19, 2021

A statement released by the presidency unveiled the schedule for Aoun's meetings with the heads of parliamentary blocs at the Presidential Palace, once the Eid Al-Adha holiday is over.

Each political leader will be given between five to 15 minutes to meet the president and put forward a candidate, amid a deepening economic crisis in Lebanon.

Names of potential candidates for premier have circulated on local media for days, with former prime minister Najib Miqati among those mentioned.

Former President of the United Nations Security Council, Nawaf Salam, has also been named as a potential PM.

The seat of prime minister in Lebanon is reserved for Sunni Muslims under the country's confessional power-sharing system.

Hariri announced his resignation on Thursday after a final proposal to form a cabinet was rejected by Aoun.

His resignation signals further unknowns for Lebanon's political future. The country has been without a government for nearly a year and is in the throes of an economic death spiral.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab stepped down in August after a massive explosion at Beirut’s port which killed over 200 people.

The international community has repeatedly warned Lebanese politicians that no financial aid can be given if crucial reforms are not carried out and widespread corruption is brought under control.

The EU has also given repeated warnings that it will sanction anyone it finds obstructing the formation of a new cabinet.