Saad Hariri named new Lebanon PM

Dashing hope of protesters, three-time Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri was named to the post for a fourth time yesterday and immediately promised a government of technocrats committed to a French-backed reform plan. 

He faces the grueling task of forming a cabinet in a country still reeling from the aftermath of a massive explosion that ripped through the capital in August. The country is mired in a financial meltdown, political infighting and widespread anger at Beirut's ruling elite.

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Hariri said he would "form a cabinet of non politically aligned experts with the mission of economic, financial and administrative reforms contained in the French initiative roadmap".

Hariri, who has previously led three governments in Lebanon, stepped down almost a year ago under pressure from unprecedented protests against the political class.

If Hariri succeeds in creating the next government, he will be taking on the premiership for a fourth time. A staple of the country's political class, Hariri is the son of the assassinated former PM Rafik Hariri and is the most high-profile Sunni Muslim political leader in Lebanon.

Lebanon is grappling with its worst economic crisis in decades and still reeling from the port blast that killed more than 200 people and ravaged large parts of Beirut in August.