On the eve of parliamentary consultations at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, a total of 86 MPs are poised to rename Saad Hariri as premier-designate to form a new government.
Among the 86 MPs are 71 from the majority March 14 coalition in addition to lawmakers from Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc and two from Tashnag.

“Lebanon First” parliamentary bloc will meet in Qoreitem at 2:00 pm Monday to rename Hariri after he abandoned efforts to form a new government

Hariri announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as Premier-designate after the Opposition rejected the Cabinet lineup he proposed earlier this week.

The Development and Liberation bloc is also scheduled to convene under Berri to declare its position vis-à-vis Hariri’s re-appointment.

The daily An-Nahar on Monday quoted sources from the Development and Liberation bloc as saying Berri’s alliance would rename Hariri.

Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc and Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc will refrain from giving a decision.

Al-Liwaa newspaper, meanwhile, quoted sources from the majority as saying Hariri would not accept a “haphazard mission this time.”