Aoun Says PM Consultations to be Held on Time

President Michel Aoun on Wednesday stressed that the upcoming binding parliamentary consultations to name a new premier-designate will be held on time.

“To settle any interpretation or hints, the parliamentary consultations will be held on time, and any possible postponement request must be justified,” Aoun said in a tweet.

The President had on Monday scheduled the consultations for July 26.

Saad Hariri stepped down as PM-designate on Thursday after nine months of futile deliberations, citing deep disagreements with Aoun.

Hariri's exit came amid a financial collapse branded by the World Bank as one of the planet's worst since the 19th century.

His departure left the country rudderless as Lebanon faces soaring poverty, a plummeting currency, angry protests and shortages of basic items from medicine to fuel.

Hariri had been nominated premier-designate in October 2020 to replace Mustafa Adib, a relatively unknown diplomat.

Adib had been nominated just weeks after the Beirut port explosion, but quit less than a month later over resistance to his proposed line up.

Outgoing prime minister Hassan Diab, who resigned in the wake of the August 4 explosion, has stayed on in a caretaker capacity until political leaders can agree on a new premier.