Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has appointed diplomat Mustafa Adib, former ambassador to Germany, as the country’s new prime minister, and has commissioned him to form a government, according to the state agency NNA.
Adib’s appointment came after consultations held by the head of state this Monday with the leaders of the main parliamentary blocs. According to the Naharnet portal, Adib has obtained the support of 90 parliamentarians.
The diplomat’s appointment was virtually guaranteed after his name was proposed by the bloc headed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the largest Sunni bloc in parliament.
Under Lebanon’s denominational system, the country’s president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni, and the speaker of Parliament a Shiite.
If confirmed in office, Adib will succeed Hasan Diab, who resigned after the devastating explosion on August 4 in the port of Beirut that left more than 190 dead and thousands injured.
