Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, looked on course to become Lebanon’s prime minister after more than half of lawmakers backed him for the post on Monday, reflecting the weakened position of Hezbollah which wanted Najib Mikati to keep the job.
The support for Salam underlined the big shift in the power balance among Lebanon’s sectarian factions since the Shi’ite group Hezbollah was pummelled in the war with Israel and its ally Bashar al-Assad was toppled in Syria last month.
The election last week of army commander General Joseph Aoun as head of state, a choice backed by the United States, also showed the shift in Lebanon’s political landscape, in which Hezbollah had long held decisive sway.
Aoun, a Maronite Christian, was holding consultations over the choice of prime minister with parliament’s 128 lawmakers on Monday. He is obliged to pick the candidate with the greatest number of votes.
Salam had secured the backing of 68 of the lawmakers by Monday afternoon. Hezbollah lawmakers attended their meeting with Aoun later than scheduled, delaying their arrival as they saw the momentum building behind Salam, a Hezbollah source said.
Hezbollah believed a political understanding had been reached on Mikati’s election before the group agreed to elect Aoun last week, the source said.
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
Many consider Salam’s acceptance to serve as Lebanon’s PM as a huge sacrifice , on the other hand , he is considered the best match for president Aoun , since both are known for their integrity , professionalism and their love for their country .
Yahoo, Ya Libnan, Reuters