Photo: Judge Nawaf Salam. He currently serves as the 27th president of the International Court of Justice.
MP Ibrahim Mneimneh who is one of the candidates being considered for the position of Prime Minister said: After contacts were made with a number of parliamentary blocs and MPs we agreed on naming Judge Nawaf Salam, given the added value he represents for Lebanon and the position of Prime Minister, and given his integrity and professional record.”
MP Ibrahim Mneimneh who is ones of the candidates that are being considered for the position of Prime Minister , but he withdrew in favor of Judge Nawaf Salam who currently serves as the 27th president of the International Court of Justice.
“I therefore announce the withdrawal of my candidacy in favor of Judge Salam, calling on fellow MPs to extend the widest support to this candidacy, given that it represents a real opportunity to restore our state, ” he said .
His statement comes after President Joseph Aoun announced on Friday that the binding parliamentary consultations to designate a new PM will be held on Monday.
President Aoun will reportedly meet with the parliamentary blocs and independent MPs starting at 8:00 am on Monday
The Lebanese opposition blocs announced that they will name MP Fouad Makhzoumi for the post but many individual opposition MPs said they would name Salam if he is one of the candidates. As expected Hezbollah and Amal MPs announced that they will name current caretaker PM Najib Mikati as their preferred candidate
Who is Nawaf Salam?
Nawaf Salam , 72 is a Lebanese diplomat, jurist, and academic. He currently serves as the 27th president of the International Court of Justice. He was elected on 9 November 2017 as judge on the International Court of Justice for the 2018–2027 term, having received a concurrent majority of votes in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.
He served as Lebanon’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2007 to 2017, during which period he held the positions of President of the Security Council and Vice President of the General Assembly. He was elected as president of the International Court of Justice on 6 February 2024. Salam is the second Arab to be elected as president and the first Lebanese judge.
Nawaf was born into a prominent family from Beirut, His, grandfather, Salim Salam, was the leader of the “Beirut Reform Movement”, his uncle, Saeb Salam, fought for Lebanon’s independence from the French Mandate of Lebanon and subsequently served four times as Prime Minister of Lebanon between 1952 and 1973. His cousin Tammam Salam was also Prime Minister of Lebanon between 2014 and 2016.
Salam received a doctorate in political science from the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) (1992), an LLM from Harvard Law School (1991), a doctorate in history from Sorbonne University (1979), and a Diploma from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (1974).
If he is designated by president Joseph Aoun, he will be the most qualified statesman Lebanon has ever had
The question is : Is he willing to relinquish the most important judicial post in the world and accept to be designated as Lebanon’s PM? Ali Hussein a Lebanese political analyst told Ya Libnan” : This will be a huge sacrifice on Salam’s part , on the other hand , he could be the best match for president Aoun , since both are known for their integrity , professionalism and their love for their country .