Beirut, Lebanon – the Appointment of Nawaf SalamThe President of the International Court of Justice, as Prime Minister of Lebanon, made many Lebanese feel optimistic.

His success in getting enough votes in parliament on Monday caps a rapid period of political change that follows Joseph Aoun He was elected president last week, filling a position that has been vacant since 2022.

Aoun Salam was tasked with forming the government on Monday, and he could serve as prime minister at least until Lebanon’s next parliamentary elections in 2026.

His victory is seen as a boon for the pro-reform movement, having come after Salam failed to get enough votes in 2022, and lost the prime ministership to the man who will now replace him, Najib Mikati.

The reform movement, which took to the streets in mass protests that began on October 17, 2019, sees in peace a man who can speak for them. Although he is a member of a prominent Beirut family, he did not hold any political position at home, but rather reached prominent positions abroad.

“It represents the aspirations of the October 17 Movement,” Dalal Moawad, a Lebanese journalist and author, told Al Jazeera. “This is a man with a very clear vision and political beliefs.”

Salam explained his priorities in his first speech as prime minister-designate on Tuesday.

He said: “We have wasted many opportunities to build the state.” “Enough wasted opportunities”

Experience abroad

Born in Beirut in 1953, Salam began his career as an academic and lecturer at universities, including the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Sorbonne in Paris, and Harvard University in the United States.

Moawad, who interned with Salam during his tenure at the United Nations, said that from 2007 to 2017 he served as Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations, where he was “formulating foreign policy when there was none in Lebanon.”

Salam, a lawyer and judge, joined the International Court of Justice in 2018 and, in 2024, was appointed its President. He presided over and ruled on South Africa’s ongoing case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal. He also worked on UN resolutions, including Resolution 1701, which forms the basis of the resolution The current ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Salam’s friends and former colleagues described him as humble, cultured and intimately familiar with the inner workings – and flaws – of the Lebanese political system.

Karim Emil Bitar, a political analyst who knows Salam, described the prime minister-designate as a strong believer in the rights of the Palestinian people, Lebanon’s Arab identity, Lebanese national unity, and “a new social contract based on democratic citizenship, not on the basis of democratic citizenship.” Sectarianism.”

Sectarianism is a reference to the country’s political system, which divides positions of power according to religious sect. Salam, as a Sunni Muslim, is eligible to serve as prime minister but not as president, a position reserved for Maronite Christians.

“He is truly an honest man,” Hilal Khashan, a political science professor who worked with Salam at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera. He added: “He realizes that the Lebanese political system needs reform, and for him the issues of accountability, transparency and responsibility mean a lot.”

Several interviewees said that a Salam government program would likely focus on reforming the political system, and ensuring accountability for crimes in Lebanon – including murders. August 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion and Banking crisis – And defending the independence of the Lebanese judiciary.

Ziad Majed, a professor of political science, told Al Jazeera: “He has always been in the movements for reform, change and progress, and I hope he will succeed in turning all of that into a political platform.”

changing?

Salam may come from a family that includes two former prime ministers, but he is largely viewed as a technocrat.

While other technocrats have been appointed to Lebanese government positions in the past, experts said regional events — including the crisis cease-fire Between the Shiite Hezbollah militia and Israel, weakening Iran and The fall of Bashar al-AssadThe Assad regime in Syria has changed the political reality in Lebanon.

Iran and Assad’s influence in the country has diminished, and support from Western and Gulf countries, which have long softened their ties and support for Lebanon due to Hezbollah’s strong role in the country, appears to be rising.

The rise of Salam and Aoun to their new roles is seen as evidence of the weakening of Hezbollah, which wanted those positions to be held by figures considered more supportive of the group.

Salam and Aoun may choose to exploit Hezbollah’s weakness after the party lost most of its leadership in the war against Israel, including its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In his speech on Tuesday, Salam said his hands were “extended to everyone,” including Hezbollah, after the group’s members reacted negatively to the new prime minister’s nomination.

It is unclear whether Hezbollah and its allies will allow Salam to make the reforms he feels are necessary for Lebanon, or whether they will reject decisions that they may feel weaken Lebanon’s resolve against Israel or place it in a pro-Western regional camp.

Currently, Salam believes that he is in a position to implement his desired national agenda.

Moawad said: “He was very careful to meet these conditions because he would not accept this job if it was destined for him to fail.” “He knows Lebanon like no one else.”