Nawaf Salam was named the next prime minister of Lebanon despite political and economic difficulties

Nawaf Salam, the president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of Lebanon, was appointed prime minister and promised changes in the face of economic challenges and Hezbollah’s diminished power. 

A major political change has occurred in Lebanon with the appointment of Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, as the country’s next prime minister. During talks with newly elected President Joseph Aoun, Salam was chosen by two-thirds of Lebanon’s 128-member parliament, beating caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who received just nine votes. 

Hezbollah, the Shia militia and political organization supported by Iran, suffered a blow with the appointment, which was made public on Monday. The group was unable to re-appoint Mikati and therefore decided not to nominate any candidates. Senior legislator Mohammed Raad accused opponents of seeking division, while Hezbollah, which has been weakened by its recent confrontation with Israel, denounced the proposal as endangering coexistence. 

Nonetheless, Hezbollah’s Sunni and Christian friends backed Salam. The biggest Maronite Christian bloc’s head, Gebran Bassil, called him the “face of reform,” while Sunni member Faisal Karami supported him, pointing to the call for “change and renewal” and assurances of foreign assistance. 

Salam, a well-known figure in Beirut’s Sunni elite, brings a plethora of expertise to the position. Since 2018, he has been an ICJ judge and Lebanon’s permanent representative to the UN. His uncle, a former prime minister who aided Lebanon in gaining its independence, and his cousin, a former premier, are part of his family’s political heritage. 

Forming a government that can win a parliamentary confidence vote in a nation riven by severe divides, an unprecedented economic crisis, and the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut port explosion is Salam’s immediate problem. In an obvious attempt to limit Hezbollah’s military might, President Aoun, who also has the backing of other countries, has promised reforms and the Lebanese state’s sole right to possess arms. 

Although Lebanon’s future is still uncertain, Salam’s nomination suggests a possible shift in direction toward reform and revitalization in the face of the country’s numerous problems.