Chief Justice of the International Court of Justice becomes new prime minister of Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on January 13 appointed Nawaf Salam, Chief Justice of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as the new prime minister of Lebanon.

President Aoun said Mr. Salam received 84 out of 128 votes in parliament . Mr. Aoun summoned Mr. Salam and tasked him with forming a new government. Mr. Salam is abroad and is expected to return to Lebanon on January 14, Reuters reported.

Speaking to the press on January 13, the Lebanese president said he expected the process of forming a government to go smoothly and as soon as possible. Before the decision on the new leadership, Mr. Najib Mikati had been the interim prime minister of Lebanon for more than 2 years.

According to Reuters, the selection of Mr. Salam highlights the changing balance of power among political groups in Lebanon, when the Lebanese Hezbollah force is said to have lost influence after more than a year of fighting with Israel. Some Lebanese lawmakers who are members of Hezbollah want Mr. Mikati to continue as prime minister.

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Nawaf Salam, 72, has been the President of the International Court of Justice since February 2024. He comes from a prominent political family in Beirut, Lebanon. He specializes in law and political science and studied at Harvard University (USA) and the Paris Institute of Political Studies (France). He was Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations in 2007.

In July 2024, while serving as ICJ chief justice, he announced that the body had ruled that Israel's presence in the Palestinian territories was a violation and that it should withdraw from these places. However, the ruling was not binding and Israel considered the ICJ's opinion "false".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chanh-an-toa-an-cong-ly-quoc-te-tro-thanh-tan-thu-tuong-li-bang-18525011408524522.htm