President Aoun names ICC top judge Nawaf Salam Lebanon’s new PM

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday picked Nawaf Salam, the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, as prime minister following consultations with lawmakers, the presidency said.

“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,” it said.

Earlier, more than half of lawmakers backed Salam for the post, reflecting the weakened position of Hizbollah which wanted Najib Mikati to keep the job.

The support for Salam underlined the big shift in the power balance among Lebanon’s sectarian factions since Hizbollah was pummelled in the war with Israel and its ally Bashar Al Assad was toppled in Syria last month.

The election last week of army commander General Joseph Aoun as head of state, a choice backed by the United States, also showed the shift in Lebanon’s political landscape, in which Hizbollah had long held decisive sway.

Aoun, a Maronite Christian, held consultations over the choice of prime minister with parliament’s 128 lawmakers on Monday. He is obliged to pick the candidate with the greatest number of votes.

Salam had secured the backing of 68 of the lawmakers by Monday afternoon.

Hizbollah lawmakers attended their meeting with Aoun later than scheduled, delaying their arrival as they saw the momentum building behind Salam, a Hizbollah source said.

Later during the day, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the decision by President Aoun to pick Salam as prime minister. "A hope for change is rising," Macron said on X, wishing him "success in forming a government in the service of all Lebanese peop

Agencies