Lebanon's President Michel Aoun has postponed by a week consultations aimed at choosing a prime minister to form a new government to tackle the country's worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war, the presidency said on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: Lebanese President Michel Aoun delivers televised address to the public on eve of Lebanon's centenary at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon in this undated handout released on August 30, 2020. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Aoun had been due to hold the consultations on Thursday and was expected to assess whether Sunni Muslim leader Saad al-Hariri could rally support of a majority of parliamentarians to try to form a new government. The country has plunged into financial turmoil and seen the value of the Lebanese pound collapse. The COVID-19 pandemic and a huge explosion at Beirut’s port two months ago compounded the crisis and pushed many Lebanese into poverty.
The Lebanese presidency said Aoun was delaying the planned consultations on nominating a new premier until Oct. 22, citing requests “from some parliamentary blocs due to difficulties emerging that need to be solved”.
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