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FILED – 03 November 2019, Lebanon, Beirut: Protestors shout slogans and wave national flags during an anti-government protest in downtown Beirut. Demonstrators took the streets across Lebanon to protest against the government for the 18th consecutive day. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa[/caption
Bloomberg
Mohammed Safadi, a wealthy Lebanese businessman and former finance minister, has withdrawn his name as a candidate for prime minister, throwing his support behind Saad Hariri to lead the new cabinet, Lebanon’s LBCI television reported, citing a statement by Safadi.
Safadi said that after deliberations and meetings with political parties, he realised that “it will be difficult to form a harmonious government that is supported by all political rivals,†according to LBCI. The former minister expressed that it will be hard for such government to put a stop to “economic deterioration†and answer the demands of the people.
Safadi’s candidacy, which has the backing of major political parties, immediately faced opposition by anti-government protesters as he was seen as a continuation of the current political system by the demonstrators.
Safadi’s withdrawal highlights the difficulty facing the political establishment in Lebanon in dealing with one of the most serious challenges to the power-sharing system since the end of the civil war in 1990, and its inability to deal with the protesters’ demands, which has been driving confidence in an already volatile economy, even further down.