Matthew Cassel. Lebanon calm after 'day of rage' - Middle East. All roads have been opened and barriers removed in the Lebanese capital after two days of protests, security officials say.
Calm returned on Wednesday as talks on forming a new government continued in Beirut. The previous day, Michel Sleiman, the Lebanese president, formally appointed Najib Mikati, a billionaire businessman, as prime minister-designate and asked him to form a new government. Parliament members voted to back Mikati, the candidate Hezbollah had proposed as a prime minister. Hezbollah, which enjoys the overwhelming backing of the country's Shia Muslims, has a parliamentary faction as well as a powerful military wing. Mikati gained 68 votes to Hariri's 60, putting the Hezbollah-led opposition in a position to form a government. Live updates on Syria’s uprising. Rage follows Lebanon PM nomination - Middle East. Lebanon's president has formally appointed a Hezbollah-backed candidate as prime minister-designate and asked him to form a new government.
MPs in Beirut voted on Tuesday to back billionaire businessman Najib Mikati, the candidate Hezbollah had proposed as a prime minister. He gained 68 votes to Hariri's 60, putting the Hezbollah-led opposition in a position to form a government. The defeat of Western-backed Saad Hariri, who has been prime minister since 2009, comes as Sunnis protested the rising power of the Syria- and Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, burning tires and torching a van belonging to Al Jazeera in a "day of rage" in the country.