BEIRUT, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese new President Joseph Aoun began binding parliamentary consultations on Monday morning to nominate a prime minister to form the first government of his term, according to the official National News Agency.
Aoun's consultations got underway with a meeting with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab. Throughout the day, Aoun is expected to meet independently with parliamentary blocs and independent parliament members, and conclude with a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and President of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Judge Nawaf Salam, are seen as the main contenders.
The opposition candidate, Parliament Member Fouad Makhzoumi, and the candidate of the Force of Changes, Ibrahim Mneimneh, announced the withdrawal of their candidacy in two separate statements earlier for a consensus on the broadest support for Salam.
According to the prevailing political custom in the country, a Sunni assumes the position of prime minister, while the president is always a Christian from the Maronite sect. The position of speaker of parliament goes to a Muslim from the Shiite sect.
According to Lebanon's constitution, the president designates the prime minister to form the government after consultations with all political parties and independent lawmakers in parliament. By convention, he chooses the candidate with the most votes during these consultations.
Aoun was elected president in the second round of the presidential vote held on Thursday, ending a two-year presidential vacuum that had paralyzed the country's political system. In his inaugural speech, Aoun pledged to end the "Israeli occupation" of Lebanon, establish the state's right to monopolize the carrying of weapons and implement many reforms. Enditem
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