New Lebanese PM chosen, asked to form governmentApril 6, 2013 - 15:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lebanon's president formally asked Sunni Muslim politician Tammam Salam to form a new government on Saturday, April 6 after Salam won overwhelming support from parliamentarians to be the new prime minister, Reuters reported. Salam was appointed two weeks after the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose two years in office were dominated by efforts to contain sectarian tensions, violence and economic fallout from the conflict in neighboring Syria. His immediate task, if he is able to form a cabinet accepted by Lebanon's rival political forces, will be to prepare for a parliamentary election which is due in June but faces likely delay. No agreement has been reached yet on an electoral system under which the vote will take place. Salam, born in 1945 into a prominent Sunni political dynasty, served as culture minister between 2008 and 2009. He is close to the Saudi- and Western-backed March 14 coalition but was seen as a consensus candidate and also won the backing of the March 8 bloc, which includes the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Hezbollah group. But a source in the March 8 group said that despite the broad support for Salam's nomination, he might face a lengthy struggle to form a government. His predecessor, Mikati, took five months assemble his ministerial team. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | IDBank issues 2nd tranche of dollar bonds of 2024 On May 13, 2024, IDBank placed registered coupon bonds under the abbreviation AMANLBB2PER9. Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. |