Lebanon's new president names President of the International Court of Justice as new prime minister

Lebanon’s new president names head of the International Court of Justice as the country’s new prime minister.

Transcript

00:00In its full advisory opinion,

00:02Lebanon's new president, Joseph Aoun,

00:04has named Nawaf Salaam as the country's new prime minister.

00:08Salaam got the backing of 84 deputies from the 128-seat parliament,

00:13while incumbent caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati

00:16only received nine votes.

00:18After consulting with the president of the cabinet,

00:22and announcing its official results,

00:26I call on the President of the Republic, Judge Nawaf Salaam,

00:30to form the government.

00:56Salaam's appointment as prime minister ends more than two years

00:59of caretaker governance headed by Najib Miqati.

01:02Salaam has a difficult job ahead,

01:05as he has the responsibility of rebuilding the country

01:08battered by 14 months of war with Israel.

01:11He is also expected to carry the country out of a years-long economic crisis,

01:15which has crippled the Mediterranean nation.

01:18Salaam comes from a well-known family.

01:21His uncle Saif Salaam was one of the leaders

01:23who fought for Lebanon's independence from France.

01:26Saif and his son Tamim both went on to become prime ministers.

01:31It's unclear whether Nawaf Salaam plans to resign

01:34from his post as head of the ICJ.

01:37He's expected to arrive to Lebanon on Tuesday

01:39to meet with the president,

01:41who will officially designate him as the next premier.

01:44For many Lebanese, the appointment of both a new president

01:47and a new prime minister is a sigh of relief,

01:50and hope for better days ahead.