Three major Lebanese parties agreed to nominate Mohammad Safadi, a former finance minister, to become prime minister, three sources familiar with the situation said, suggesting progress towards a new government at a time of acute economic crisis.
The consensus on Safadi emerged in a meeting late on Thursday between Hariri, a leading Sunni politician aligned with Western and Gulf states, and representatives of the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah and its Shi'ite ally Amal.
The news was first reported by Lebanese broadcasters LBCI and MTV.