Lebanon picks ambassador Mustapha Adib as new prime minister

Mustapha Adib has been designated as the new Prime Minister of Lebanon, after the former ambassador to Germany secured the support of the majority of MPs in parliament.

Adib has been the envoy to Berlin since 2013 and was an adviser to a former prime minister. He holds a doctorate in law and political science.

Adib will now move to form a government, three weeks after the previous administration quit following the devastating Beirut port explosions.

Ammonium nitrate stored at the port exploded on August 4 killing 190 people, wounded thousands, and caused massive destruction to central Beirut.

The explosion deepened a political and economic malaise that has plunged the country into its worst crisis since a 1975-90 civil war.

Read: Lebanon inflation soars past 100% in latest sign of meltdown

Widespread popular discontent with the political class has led to almost daily mass protests by a disgruntled public.

On Sunday, Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim politicians, including former prime minister Saad al-Hariri, threw their weight behind Adib. The post of prime minister must go to a Sunni under Lebanon’s sectarian system.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, who has spearheaded international efforts to bring the various political factions together, arrives today in Beirut. He is expected to meet with Lebanese leaders on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, Macron made a series of phone calls to Lebanese leaders at the weekend that were vital to securing the consensus on Adib.