Hezbollah accuses opposition parties of trying to exclude them from the political decision-making process.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has summoned International Court of Justice chief Nawaf Salam to nominate him as the country’s prime minister.
On Monday, 84 of the 128 lawmakers in Lebanon’s parliament backed Salam as prime minister.
Reuters writes that this is a major blow to Lebanon’s influential Shiite political organization Hezbollah. Hezbollah accuses opposition parties of trying to exclude them from the political decision-making process. The choice of Salam as prime minister signals a major shift in the balance of power among Lebanon’s sectarian factions.
The Iranian-backed Shia Muslim group Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses in last year’s war with Israel and the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria.
Lebanon’s president’s office said President Aoun summoned him to tasked with forming a government after Salam secured the support of the majority of lawmakers in parliament.
Salam is out of Lebanon. He is scheduled to return home on Tuesday. He has the support of Christian and Druze factions in Lebanon’s parliament and prominent Sunni Muslim MPs. These Sunni Muslim MPs include Hezbollah’s allies and opponents.
But MPs from seats reserved for Shiites in parliament from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally Amal Movement did not propose or support Salam as a possible prime minister. This indicates that they do not want to join Salam’s government for the time being.
If the Shia bloc in parliament remains outside the Lebanese cabinet, the possibility of a sectarian discord will increase. Hezbollah wants incumbent Prime Minister Najib Mikati to remain in office.
Mohammed Raad, a senior Hezbollah lawmaker, accused Hezbollah’s opponents of working for boycott and division. “That hand was amputated last week after Hezbollah extended its hand to elect Joseph Aoun as president. However, a government that disagrees with coexistence has no legitimacy. ”
Hezbollah would act calmly and wisely, he said, adding that it would “act calmly and wisely” to address concerns about the national interest.
General Aoun, the commander of Lebanon’s armed forces, was elected president in last week’s presidential election. He has the support of the United States and Saudi Arabia. This suggests that Saudi Arabia’s influence is now reviving in the country where Iran and Hezbollah had influence a few years ago.
For more than two years, Lebanon has had no head of state and no full-powered cabinet.