Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has urged former Prime Minister Saad Hariri to return to national politics, expressing concerns about the Sunni leadership vacuum in the country’s parliament.
According to an informed source, Speaker Berri visited Hariri on Saturday. During the meeting, Berri pledged his full support to Hariri and his Future Movement party, both politically and electorally in the forthcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for May.
The speaker’s move is part of a broader effort to restore balance in Lebanon’s parliamentary politics. Berri pleaded with Hariri to revitalize the Sunni political representation for the sake of political and national stability, arguing that continued fragmentation could worsen internal balances and national partnerships.
Furthermore, Berri has instructed the leaders of the Amal Movement to reopen communication channels with the Future Movement and establish contact with former lawmaker Bahia Hariri for political coordination that could potentially lead to electoral alliances in several sensitive electorates.
Berri has instructed the Amal Movement to reopen communication channels with the Future Movement and former lawmaker Bahia Hariri
Lebanese political circles view Berri’s move as part of a broader effort to contain further erosion of Sunni political representation amid fears that the existing vacuum could exacerbate internal tensions and hamper national partnerships. The approach aims to reintroduce balance into national politics as parliamentary elections draw closer.
Political elites view Berri’s move to seek Hariri’s return as non-confrontational and as a calculated move capable of rallying the Sunni factions, maintaining stability, and reorganizing Sunni presence within the national political equation.
This development comes nearly four years after Saad Hariri paused his political career and suspended the Future Movement’s participation in Lebanese politics. In a speech commemorating the 21st anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik’s assassination in Beirut, Hariri hinted at his own return to politics through his party’s participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
This development comes nearly four years after Saad Hariri paused his political career and suspended the Future Movement’s participation in Lebanese politics
Hariri had announced his political withdrawal in January 2022, holding back his party from running in the parliamentary elections amid mounting political and economic pressures, including the Future Movement’s declining influence, growing divisions within the Sunni factions, and an internal power struggle concerning the complex relationship with Hezbollah and its allies.
Over the past years, Hariri opted to avoid Lebanese politics, maintain limit appearances in social events, and settle in the United Arab Emirates. Away from the spotlight, he tended to his personal affairs and business during the period. His break has been described as a phase reflecting deep political introspection rather than a permanent retirement.
