The binding parliamentary consultations to designate the head of the new Lebanese Cabinet will take place on Monday, August 31st, the Lebanese presidency announced in a statement.
The country’s MPs will vote on the candidates in a session that will be held between 9 AM and 1:30 PM, upon which the candidate with the highest vote count will be designated to form a new government.
With former PM Saad Hariri’s name recently taken out of the equation, the Parliament will reportedly consider former PM Tammam Salam as a “favorable” candidate amongst the parties.
However, it’s worth noting that Salam told Al-Modon on Friday that, to him, heading the government at this stage is not viable.
“I do not want to form a government under a [presidential term] that did not show any goodwill in managing the country’s affairs wisely,” he said.
As of yet, with that in mind, it remains unclear which names Lebanon’s parliamentary blocs will vote for on August 31st, especially that the former Lebanese PMs did not nominate anyone after concluding their meeting on Friday.
Notably, the consultations will take place a day prior to French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to Lebanon.
Macron, who plans to meet the newly-designated PM – if the Monday session goes well – has made it clear that “he will not give up” on his pursuit of reform and change in Lebanon, according to a French presidential official.
The French President has “made a commitment to do what needs to be done and to apply the necessary pressure to put this program in place,” the official said.
Macron is said to have created a roadmap that could save Lebanon from its current disaster, which includes France helping with early parliamentary elections and urgent reforms.
Interestingly, the French President is set to visit and meet Fairouz, the iconic Lebanese singer, reportedly even before meeting any Lebanese officials, upon his arrival in Beirut on Tuesday.
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