Lebanese PM Mikati says he will not run in May parliamentary elections

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has announced that he will not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 15 and that he will instead support the efforts of the elected individuals.

While announcing the news in a television address on Monday, the Lebanese premier called on Lebanese people to turn out to vote and said his move aimed to “provide room for the new generation.”

“I will support the efforts of those chosen by the people and cooperate with everyone for the public interest,” he said.

Mikati, who had pledged to run governmental affairs far from any disputes, was appointed as Lebanon’s prime minister last year. He was briefly caretaker prime minister for several months in April 2005 and then headed a full-fledged government in 2011 for three years.

Among Mikati’s endorsers was former premier Saad Hariri.

The announcement by Mikati follows a similar one by Hariri earlier this year saying that he will not run in the elections and neither will members of the Future Movement.

Hariri, a three-time prime minister and current member of parliament, further acknowledged that he had failed to prevent Lebanon from falling into the worst economic crisis in its modern history.

Hariri inherited the political leadership from his father, Rafik Hariri, after his assassination in 2005.