Hariri Returns as Premier in ‘Last Chance’ to Save Lebanon
- Hariri says will form a cabinet of nonpasrtisan experts
- Lebanon is in talks with the IMF over a $10 billion bailout
Saad Hariri returned as prime minister Thursday a year after stepping down in the face of nationwide protests, his promise to implement a French plan to salvage the collapsing economy complicated by his failure to secure broad support.
Hariri received 65 parliamentary votes out of 118, giving him the mandate to form his fourth government after Lebanon’s political establishment failed to agree on a strong alternative to lead the country out of its deepest economic and political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. But his record, and failure to win the backing of the two main Christian parties, will hinder Hariri’s mission and his return is unpopular with tens of thousands of Lebanese who filled the streets last year demanding the removal of a political class they blame for the country’s ills.