Lebanese leading Sunni politician Saad Hariri nominated the country's ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib to be the next prime minister in formal consultations on Monday, major Lebanese broadcasters reported. Speaking after a meeting with President Michel Aoun, Hariri also said the new government should be formed quickly and made up of specialist ministers. Its aims must include rebuilding Beirut, he added, after the devastating Aug. 4 port explosion. Earlier this week, Hariri asked all MPs to withdraw his name from any potential political consultations with the president aimed at designating a new premier. "I had committed not to take a political position before ... having completed contacts with friendly countries, the international community and Lebanese political forces," Hariri said in a statement then. Lebanon has been without a government since Aug. 10 when now caretaker-prime minister Hassan Diab announced his resignation as a result of the Beirut explosions, which left close to 200 people dead and thousands more injured. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut in the days after the deadly blasts and called for a national unity government agreed upon by all political sides. However, protesters expressed their frustration with the entire ruling elite and called for a government independent of traditional political parties, allied with various regional and international axes. — Agencies
