Guwahati News Desk: The billionaire businessman, Najib Mikati, has been named as Lebanon’s new Prime Minister on Monday.
His victory came with a total of 72 votes in the Parliament.
Following his appointment, Mikati gave a speech at the Baabda Palace, during which he called upon all political parties to cooperate with him on finding the right solutions to the country’s crises.
Mikati said, “The vote of confidence by Members of Parliament is necessary for my appointment but I am keen to gain the confidence of the Lebanese population, every man and woman, and the youths.”
The newly appointed leader also appealed for unity in the country to begin recovery from the ravaging impacts of the novel coronavirus.
This will be Mikati’s third stint as Lebanon’s prime minister, as he was briefly caretaker prime minister for several months in April 2005, and had headed a full-fledged government in 2011 for three years.
According to sources, Mikati’s appointment came just 11 days after Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister-designate, following nine months of political deadlock and dispute with President Aoun and his son-in-law MP Gebran Bassil.
However, Mikati did face opposition from the country’s two main Christian parties, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s economy continues to crumble while enduring a severe economic depression over the past 8 years’ spillovers from the Syrian civil war, that has halted the country’s cross-border trade, sinking its economy to the world’s third-highest ratio of debt to GDP since the 1800s. Infact, half of its population is living below the poverty line. In addition, the country has been without a full-fledged government for almost one year and is struggling to reform its economy to unlock international aid.