Saad Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and from 2016 to 2020, announced on Monday January 24 his retirement from political life. The main Lebanese Sunni leader, he mentioned in particular “Iranian influence” on the country, the “disorder on the international scene” and the “internal divisions”.
Mr. Hariri, propelled onto the political scene after the 2005 assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, announced his decision during a brief speech in Beirut. This announcement comes after a series of financial and political setbacks, and at a time when Lebanon is hit by the worst socio-economic crisis in its history.
“I suspend my participation in political life and invite my political family within the Current of the Future to follow my path”, Hariri said, calling on the country’s main Sunni party not to present candidates in the legislative elections scheduled for May. “There are no positive opportunities in Lebanon [en raison] Iranian influence on the country, disorder on the international scene, internal divisions, sectarianism and the disintegration of the state”, detailed the former prime minister.
Repeated political crises
Saudi Arabia was once Mr Hariri’s main regional ally, before their relationship deteriorated in recent years, with Riyadh believing it was too soft on the Shiite Hezbollah movement. A heavyweight in Lebanese politics, Hezbollah is armed and financed by Shiite Iran, the great regional rival of Sunni Saudi Arabia, and is the only Lebanese faction to have kept its arms after the civil war (1975-1990).
Mr. Hariri has already led three governments. Since his first accession to power in 2009, he has gradually forged a reputation as a man of compromise.
He submitted his third resignation about two weeks after the start of popular protests against the political class on October 17, 2019. Despite his appointment on October 22, 2020 to form the government, he was unable to complete his mission due to the fact popular resentment and political divisions.
After the last legislative elections in 2018, which consolidated Hezbollah’s influence, the number of seats in Mr Hariri’s parliamentary bloc fell by around a third and some have linked his decline in popularity to political concessions that he made – accepted, according to him, in order to preserve civil peace.