Support for Salam shows a big shift in the power balance in Lebanon as Hezbollah wanted PM Mikati to keep the job.
Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, set to become Lebanon’s prime minister after more than half of lawmakers backed him for the post.
Monday’s development reflects the weakened position of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which wanted Najib Mikati to keep the job, following its devastating war with Israel and the toppling of the group’s ally Bashar al-Assad 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 sectarian political landscape, in which Hezbollah had long held decisive sway.
Aoun, a Maronite Christian, was holding consultations over the choice of prime minister with parliament’s 128 MPs on Monday.
He is obliged to pick the candidate with the greatest number of votes.
Salam had secured the backing of 78 of the MPs out of 128 by Monday afternoon, with nine endorsing Mikati who has served as prime minister in a caretaker capacity.
More to follow.