BEIRUT // Lebanon's caretaker prime minister said Monday he would not take part in any government headed by a Hizbollah-backed candidate, raising the stakes in a crisis that many fear could descend into violence.
Saad Hariri made the announcement as Lebanon's president, Michel Suleiman, began two days of consultations with members over their choice of prime minister.
Lebanon will probably see lengthy negotiations to form a new government after Hizbollah toppled Mr Hariri's Western-backed unity government on January 12 over his refusal to renounce a UN-backed tribunal investigating the assassination in 2005 of his father, the then prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Many fear Hizbollah will react violently if its members are indicted, as is widely expected. Hizbollah, which gets support from Syria and Iran, is Lebanon's most powerful armed force.
Now, both sides are scrambling for enough support to form a government.
Hizbollah and its allies are believed to have chosen the moderate politician and billionaire businessman Najib Mikati as their candidate. Mr Mikati, who served briefly as prime minister in 2005, announced late Sunday that he is seeking the post as a candidate of "moderation and accord" in the talks on Monday and Tuesday.
Asked whether he was the candidate for the Hizbollah-led bloc known as "March 8," Mr Mikati said: "I consider myself to be a candidate of accord and moderation."
A statement issued by Mr Hariri's office, however, said there is no "consensual candidate."
"There is a candidate named Saad Hariri, and another candidate for the March 8 forces, and the choice in this regard is clear and unambiguous," the statement said.
Mr Hariri said his Future movement will not participate in any government headed by a Hizbollah-backed candidate.
One politician, Oqab Sakr, said Mr Mikati's candidacy was "a clear challenge to the will of the parliamentary and popular majority".
The support of at least 65 MPs is required to form a government in Lebanon's 128-seat parliament. Hizbollah and its allies already claim 57 seats. Saad Hariri has 60.
Walid Jumblatt, the influential leader of the Druse sect, who heads an 11-member bloc in parliament, said this week he was supporting Hizbollah and Syria.
He is believed to have secured for Hizbollah the votes of at least seven MPs from his bloc, which would bring the militant group only one seat short of majority to govern on its own.
The Hizbollah leader said on Sunday that the group and its allies will seek to form a new unity government with their rivals in Lebanon's Western-backed political bloc if the candidate they are backing is chosen to be prime minister.
Mr Mikati, A Harvard graduate, is seen as a relatively neutral figure who enjoys good relations with the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, and also with the pro-Western Mr Hariri, who himself is seeking to keep the post.
Mr Mikati's candidacy brings Hizbollah and its allies closer to getting enough support to form a government on their own.
He is a founder of Mikati Communications Group, which includes Investcom, a leading Middle Eastern mobile phone company that has interests in Yemen, Syria and Cyprus.
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
FA CUP FINAL
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.