As Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun conducts backroom negotiations aimed at naming a new prime minister, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that forming a government “will not be an easy process.”
In a televised address on Friday, the Islamist leader extended a surprise hand to supporters and opponents alike, declaring that he has no wish to serve in a “one-sided government,” and calling for a government with “the broadest representation possible.”
Nasrallah insisted that Gebran Bassil’s Free Patriotic Movement – a party supported predominantly by Lebanese Christians – take part in the government, stating that the country’s current crisis requires all Lebanese to “stand together.” Bassil had previously refused to take part in a government led by Prime Minister Saad el-Hariri, currently serving in a caretaker role since his resignation in October.
Lebanon is currently engulfed by anti-government protests, brought on by rising unemployment and poverty, and perceived corruption among the country’s ruling elite. Demonstrators have called not just for a change in leadership, but for a wholesale purge of Lebanon’s top political leaders.