Lebanon's Saad al-Hariri said on Tuesday he did not want to be prime minister of a new government, calling his decision "decisive" and saying he was confident President Michel Aoun would convene consultations to designate someone else.
Hariri resigned on Oct. 29 in the face of nationwide protests against Lebanon's ruling elite. His decision toppled a coalition government including the powerful, Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, which opposed the decision.
"I am sticking by the rule 'not me, rather someone else' to form a government that addresses the aspirations of the young men and women," Hariri, Lebanon's leading Sunni Muslim politician, said in a statement.