Al-Hariri becomes prime minister of Lebanon; follows his father's footsteps

Madeline Wahbi
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-07-03

Lebanon's newly-appointed Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri (L) meets with re-elected Speaker Nabih Berri at the Parliament in Beirut on June 29, one in a series of consultative meetings on the formation of a new government in 2009. (Reuters/ Ali Fawaz/ Handout)

BEIRUT — On June 27, calm and peace prevailed among Lebanese political factions as Saad Al-Hariri, a young, wealthy businessman with an appealing personality, was appointed as the new Lebanese prime minister.

Son of and political heir to popular former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri, who was assassinated in a car bombing in February 2005, Saad Al-Hariri began his political career in earnest immediately thereafter, leading his party, the March 14 Alliance, to achieve victory over Hezbollah in the June 7 parliamentary elections. The Western-backed alliance ultimately won 71 seats and retained control over the legislative authority.

On June 27, Lebanese President Gen Michel Suleiman issued a decree pronouncing the appointment of Saad Al-Hariri as prime minister, which came just two days after consultative sessions with lawmakers in the 128-member Lebanese parliament ended. Eighty-six members of parliament cast their votes in favour of Al-Hariri.

Al-Hariri now faces the challenge of forming a cohesive government from among the many divided parliamentary blocs. Analysts say that this task may take weeks. He succeeded his ally, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who was appointed to the position in 2005 following the assassination of the senior Al-Hariri.

The most difficult bloc for Al-Hariri to satisfy will be Hezbollah and its Christian allies. Hezbollah may represent a minority, but it also represents a special political opposition force within the parliament. Given its unique position, it recently requested the right to veto government decisions if it is displeased with them.

Saad Al-Hariri has stated that his mission as prime minister is now bigger than forming a new government, and that his final aim is to lead the country forward in a peaceful and successful manner.

Bookmarking