Lebanon’s president appoints ICJ judge Nawaf Salam as new Prime Minister

Lebanon‘s President Joseph Aoun appointed international jurist Nawaf Salam as the country’s new prime minister on Monday, following consultations with lawmakers, local media reported.

Salam, a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, received significant backing, with 84 members of parliament endorsing him for the role. The incumbent prime minister, Najib Mikati, who has been serving in a caretaker capacity, garnered the support of only nine lawmakers, according to Lebanese media tallies.

The appointment comes after Aoun’s election last week, which ended a two-year political deadlock and raised hopes of steering Lebanon out of its deep crisis. Aoun consulted with lawmakers before making his nomination for the premiership, with Salam emerging as the frontrunner.

Despite Salam’s majority support in the 128-member parliament, the final decision rested with Aoun, who opted for the ICJ judge over Mikati.

Lebanon had been without a president since October 2022, and the country has been governed by a caretaker administration amid a prolonged economic collapse. Aoun’s election was seen as a turning point, made possible in part by the weakening of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, following its ongoing conflict with Israel.

Under Lebanon’s power-sharing agreement, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the parliament speaker a Shiite Muslim.

Salam’s supporters view him as an impartial figure capable of implementing much-needed reforms, contrasting with Mikati, whom critics accuse of being influenced by Hezbollah.