Lebanese parliament endorses new government led by Hariri

Members of the new Lebanese government pose for a picture at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, on December 21, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

A national unity government headed by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has won a vote of confidence in the parliament.

On Wednesday, the 128-member legislature voted 87 to 4, with one abstention, in support of Hariri’s 30-member cabinet.

The vote of confidence came after Lebanese lawmakers debated the new government's policy statement that outlined its priorities.

The cabinet, which includes most of the country's political groups, has the slogan of “restoring confidence."

Lebanese lawmakers watch as Prime Minister Saad Hariri talks on a screen, after his government won a vote of confidence in the parliament in Beirut, Lebanon, December 28, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

In an address to the parliament on Wednesday, Hariri underlined the need for a new electoral law that will replace the 1960 legislation.

"There's a role that should be played by the cabinet and another by the parliament... All political factions are seeking to endorse a new electoral law," he said.

Touching on the issue of corruption at state institutions, the Lebanese premier further said that his administration had set a precedent in establishing a ministerial portfolio to tackle graft in the Middle Eastern country.

The new cabinet was announced on December 18, less than two months after the country's parliament elected Michel Aoun, a Christian leader and strong ally of the Hezbollah resistance movement, as president. Aoun’s election ended a 29-month-long political stalemate in the country.

Lebanon is expected to hold parliamentary elections in May 2017, the first legislative vote in eight years.