Nawaf Salam: Who is Lebanon’s newly designated prime minister?
During his time at the UN, he was a key architect behind the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which blamed Hezbollah for being behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
In less than a week, Lebanon elected a new president and designated a prime minister outside the ruling elite for the first time in modern history.
On Monday, an overwhelming majority of Lebanese MPs nominated Nawaf Salam, the president of the International Court of Justice, to form a new government, dealing yet another blow to Hezbollah.
Salam has long been in the mix to become the Lebanese prime minister, only to be vetoed by Hezbollah, which sees him as an opponent and close to Western and Gulf countries.
So, who is Nawaf Salam, and what is his background?
Born in 1953, Salam hails from a prominent Sunni Muslim family in Beirut with a long history of political service.
His wife, Sahar Baassiri, was Lebanon’s ambassador to UNESCO.
A longtime lawyer and professor, Salam was appointed to the ICJ in 2018 after serving as Lebanon’s ambassador to the UN from 2007-2017.
Salam’s uncle, Saeb, was the Lebanese premier several times between 1950 – 1975. He was seen as a key player in the Taif Accord, which ended the 15-year civil war in Lebanon.
Nawaf Salam’s uncle, Tammam, was also Lebanon’s prime minister from 2014 to 2016 and was a former minister.
In his youth, Nawaf Salam was, as many Arabs were and continue to be, heavily involved in pro-Palestine causes and movements.
Despite not receiving support from Hezbollah or its Shia ally, the Amal Movement, Salam received 84 votes from the 128-member Parliament.
During his time at the UN, Salam was a key architect behind the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which blamed Hezbollah for being behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Salam also played a vital role in UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which put an end to the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel and called for all non-state actors to give up their weapons.
He is expected to return to Beirut later Monday to begin consultations with Lebanese factions and lawmakers to form a new government.
