Siniora nominated as Lebanese PM
28/05/2008| IslamWeb
The majority coalition bloc in Lebanon's parliament has nominated Fouad Siniora, the current prime minister, to form the country's first government since a new president was elected.
The March 14 bloc made the decision at a late-night meeting, senior officials from the coalition said on Tuesday.
It will inform Michel Sleiman, who was sworn in as president on Sunday, of its choice during consultations with parliament on Wednesday.
The president is tasked with appointing the prime minister nominated by a majority of MPs in the 127-member legislature.
Sleiman was elected by the Lebanese parliament after a power-sharing deal between the March 14 bloc and the Hezbollah-led opposition was reached in Qatar.
Soldier killed
The political agreement was reached after more than 70 people were killed in clashes in cities across the country and tensions on the street are still simmering.
A soldier was killed during a gunfight between Hezbollah supporters and pro-government loyalists on Tuesday, Lebanese security officials said.
Hussein Mohammed Janadin was caught in the crossfire in the clash at a military post in the village of Aramoun, south of Beirut, officials said.
The soldier is the first person to die as a result of fighting between supporters of political factions since the power-sharing deal.
Tuesday's fighting came a day after nine people were injured in a gunfight in Beirut, shortly after a speech by Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's secretary-general.
The clashes suggest that while Lebanon's leaders have worked out an accord, their respective supporters may be more reluctant to observe the political détente.
Lebanon's interior ministry has placed an indefinite ban on motorcycles, car parades, political flags and slogans in Beirut, in an attempt to defuse tensions between majority and opposition supporters.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
Al-Jazeera