Crisis-swept Lebanon in gridlock after Safadi withdrawal 0 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy ReutersLebanon slipped deeper into political crisis on Sunday after the withdrawal of a top candidate for prime minister narrowed the chances of creating a government needed to enact urgent reforms. Mohammad Safadi, a former finance minister, withdrew his candidacy late on Saturday, saying it was too difficult to form a “harmonious” government with broad political support. Safadi was the first candidate who had appeared to win some consensus among Lebanon’s fractious sectarian-based parties since Hariri quit as prime minister on Oct. 29, pushed out by sweeping protests against the ruling elite. Lebanon’s prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, according to its sectarian power-sharing system.

Source: Manila Bulletin November 17, 2019 12:11 UTC