Three major Lebanese parties agreed to nominate Mohammad Safadi, a former finance minister, as prime minister, according to Lebanon media

Former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and representatives of the Shi’ite groups Amal and Hezbollah reached an agreement over the nomination of Safadi in the meeting on Thursday.

Who is Mohammad Ahmed Safadi?

Safadi was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, on 28 March 1944. He is a graduate of the American University of Beirut, where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Safadi has been a member of the Lebanese Parliament since 2000 as part of the Tripoli bloc. He served as the minister of public works and transport from 19 July 2005 to July 2008. Safadi also served as acting energy and water minister in 2007 and in 2008. Next, he was appointed minister of economy and trade on 11 July 2008 to the cabinet headed by Fouad Siniora. He was reelected member of parliament in the 2009 elections and he was on the list of the March 14 alliance. Safadi was appointed minister of economy and trade to the cabinet of Saad Hariri on 9 November 2009, and his tenure lasted until June 2011.

Safadi did not support for Saad Hariri in the 2011 cabinet formation talks with Lebanese President Micheal Suleiman. Instead, he voted for Najib Mikati during cabinet formation consultations in January 2011. Therefore, he broke with his March 14 allies and sided with the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition along with Mikati. Safadi became an ally of Mikati after this event.

Safadi served as the minister of finance from 13 June 2011 to February 2014 in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Mikati. Within the cabinet, Safadi is part of the group appointed by the Prime Minister and an independent or non-affiliated minister in the Mikati's cabinet. 

Safadi chairs the steering committee of the Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Committee (METAC) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He is also the head of the Lebanese-German Parliamentary Friendship Committee and a member of the Economy Commission in the parliament.

Safadi's term as finance minister ended in February 2014 when Ali Hasan Khalil was appointed to the post.

ILKHA