“Aoun has ended the parliamentary consultations, needed for appointing the new prime minister. As a result of that, Hassan Diab has been tasked with forming the new government,” the press service said in a statement.
The candidacy of Diab was supported by 69 out of 128 members of parliament.
“I will make all the efforts to form the cabinet as soon as possible via consultations with former prime ministers, parliamentary blocs, political forces, parties and popular movement,” Diab told reporters after his meeting with Aoun.
Diab’s nomination for prime minister was met with some protests held across the country.
The political crisis in Lebanon was caused by the wave of protests that started on 17 October following the government’s intent to introduce a tax on internet calls made via the WhatsApp messenger. Despite the measure being scrapped and the cabinet being dismissed, people have remained in the streets to demand economic reforms to fix the worsening living conditions and general economic crisis.