BEIRUT (Dispatches) –
Lebanon’s politician Saad al-Hariri said on Monday he was suspending his role in political life and would not run in a forthcoming parliamentary election.
Hariri, three times prime minister, also called on his party not to run any candidates in the election.
“We will continue to serve our people, but our decision is to suspend any role in power, politics and parliament,” Hariri said in a live televised address, as he spoke in front of a portrait of his father.
Hariri inherited the political mantle of his father, Rafik al-Hariri, after his assassination in 2005. But his political fortunes have waned in recent years, with his position weakened by the loss of Saudi support.
Hariri’s announcement comes as Lebanon suffers an economic meltdown which the World Bank has described as one of the sharpest ever globally. The sectarian elite has failed to take steps to address the crisis even as the bulk of the population has fallen into poverty.
Lebanon’s leading Druze politician Walid Jumblatt said he was very saddened by the decision.
Hariri last week held a meeting with his party about his decision to abstain from taking part in the upcoming general elections, but did not issue a statement to the press. His spokesperson that day declined to comment on what went on during the meeting.
He was appointed as prime minister-elect in late October 2020 for a third stint as the country’s prime minister. However, he resigned the following July after political deadlock and continuing disputes with President Michel Aoun.
Saad Hariri has been the leader of the Sunni-majority Future Movement party for more than 15 years, following the assassination of his father, business magnate and former prime minister Rafic Hariri in February 2005.