Amid crisis, Lebanon’s factions choose ambassador to Germany as new prime minister

Adib, a Sunni Muslim, has taught at universities in France and Lebanon and previously served as an adviser to Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Lebanon’s sectarian political system requires a Sunni serve as prime minister.

Former prime minister Hassan Diab resigned amid widespread public outcry earlier this month over the massive Aug. 4 blast in the capital’s port that killed at least 180 people and injured thousands of others. The explosion at a warehouse containing 2,750 metric tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for six years ignited outrage against the government and accusations of widespread corruption and negligence.

Diab formed his government in January after street protests prompted his predecessor, Saad Hariri, to resign in October. Diab will continue in his role until Adib forms a government — a task that could take several months, if not longer.

The announcement Monday that Adib will take over as prime minister came hours before French President Emmanuel Macron is set to land in the Lebanese capital for his second visit to the former French protectorate since the explosion earlier this month.

On his last visit, Macron visited some of the worst-affected areas of the capital, where he greeted distressed civilians and called on leaders in Lebanon to enact reforms that would ensure aid was distributed to those who needed it.

The French government has pressured Lebanon to prioritize political changes and raised concerns that Lebanese officials would pilfer aid intended for victims of the blast.

Last week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio that the country is “on the brink” and that crises on multiple fronts could risk the “disappearance of Lebanon.”

The country has been immersed in a massive economic crisis for months, with prices for basic goods soaring and the value of the currency plummeting. Coronavirus cases have also increased dramatically since the explosion, adding pressure to an already burdened system.

The caretaker government recently called for a two-week lockdown to help stem the rise in cases but was forced to loosen the restrictions last week after business owners defied the order and described the rules as unfeasible amid the country’s economic crisis.

Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Security Affairs in Beirut, said Adib was chosen in the face of French pressure to enact reforms and establish trust with the Lebanese population and the international community. Foreign powers do not trust the Lebanese government “with one bag of wheat and one box of milk,” he said.

Adib — a relatively unknown diplomat — will come to the post with more support from prominent Sunni leaders than Diab, who was proposed as prime minister late last year by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement. Hezbollah, the country’s most powerful political force, is now facing mounting pressure from a population enraged by crises on several fronts.

Adib’s designation was received with broad consensus by most major political leaders — including Hezbollah, even as he moves the Lebanese government in a more pro-Western direction than his predecessor.

But protesters, distressed by the country’s economic downfall and the recent explosion, are calling for a complete overhaul of the system and a government independent from the country’s traditional political forces who endorsed him Monday.

“In my view and the view of lots of observers, only an independent government can get Lebanon out of the financial crisis,” Nader said. “I don’t think this kind of candidate will meet their expectation or will help to ease or to calm their anger.”

Shortly after Adib was selected, he visited the port where this month’s explosion took place and a nearby neighborhood, Gemmayze, that was badly damaged in the blast. Footage circulating on social media shows a woman confronting him on the street in the ruined neighborhood and accusing him of belonging to the ruling class. “We the revolutionaries do not recognize you,” she said. “Our children died. We do not recognize you.”

“We don’t want you!” she repeated loudly seven times as he walked away, surrounded by security.

Nader Durgham in Beirut and Suzan Haidamous in Washington contributed to this report.

Source:WP