Hariri again Lebanon PM

BEIRUT, Oct 22, (AP): Lebanon’s president tasked former prime minister Saad Hariri with forming a new government Thursday, bringing back the veteran politician a year after he was toppled amid nationwide protests against widespread corruption and a flunking economy.

President Michel Aoun designated Hariri to form the next government after a slight majority of votes from lawmakers, securing the return of an old name to lead the country desperate for change.

Hariri now faces a more impoverished Lebanon, devastated by a massive explosion in August that defaced Beirut. He is also up against a more determined opposition.

But the 50-year-old politician takes the helm with a sense of urgency and more involvement by international leaders who have warned that the small country is on the verge of collapse. Hariri pledged to quickly form a new government – his fourth in the last decade – that would halt the country’s economic collapse, calling it the “last and only” opportunity.

The task is enormous, amid an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, and stiff opposition, including from former political allies and protesters who had been demanding change. “Saad, don’t dream of it,” read posters raised by protesters, who see him as a symbol of an entrenched political class they blame for the country’s woes.

In the past year, Lebanon’s currency has collapsed, losing nearly 80 percent of its value, while prices, unemployment and inflation soared. Lebanese have been unable to access their savings, as banks imposed informal capital controls, fearing a run on deposits.