Aoun, Berri, Hizbullah Refrain from Renaming Hariri
Parliamentary consultations kicked off at Baabda Palace on Tuesday with Saad Hariri having advance knowledge that he will gain the support of all 71 majority lawmakers for his renomination as prime minister.
In addition to the 71 MPs, two deputies from the Armenian Tashnag party will also rename Hariri for the premiership post.
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah refrained from renaming Hariri.
While Berri left the presidential palace in Baabda without making any statements, Aoun came out to announce that differences with Hariri are "enormous."
"The Change and Reform bloc has reservations about naming Hariri. We did not name anyone to form the government," Aoun said after consultations with President Michel Suleiman.
Aoun complained that the political "tone is still escalatory," and urged the various political leaders to commit to dialogue "because it is the only way to salvation."
MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hizbullah”s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, told reporters that his bloc did not name anyone as premier.
Raad offered cooperation to form a national unity government.
MP Ali Hassan Khalil from Berri”s Development and Liberation bloc also came out to say that his bloc did not name anyone as premier.
"We will cooperate with the PM-designate and the Lebanese President on the basis of a national unity government based on the 15-10-5 formula," Khalil told reporters from Baabda.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Farid Makari and former Premier Najib Miqati also named Hariri as premier.
"Reaching national consensus does not mean that the losing party should get the priority in forming a Cabinet; that decision should be taken by the majority," Makari said.
Miqati, for his part, hoped that various politicians would exert every effort to "remove all obstacles and conditions because the country needs a government that stands up to challenges."