Hariri Plans 2025 Return for Election Prep: Report

Former Prime Minister and leader of the al-Mustaqbal Movement, Saad Hariri, is planning a comeback to Lebanon in spring 2025 to gear up for the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2026, according to sources within Mustaqbal. These sources revealed to ad-Diyar newspaper that Hariri intends to enter the political fray with a series of initiatives requiring a robust parliamentary faction behind him.

His aim is reportedly to rejuvenate the Sunni community’s involvement in Lebanon’s political decision-making process.

Earlier this month, Hariri made a brief return to Lebanon to commemorate the 19th anniversary of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination. During this visit, he also met with various political figures and members of his political movement.

Hariri has previously held the position of Prime Minister from 2009 to 2011 and then from 2016 to 2020. His unexpected decision to resign in November 2017, announced on Saudi Arabian television, sparked controversy, hinting at the underlying tensions between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia influenced by the broader Iran-Saudi Arabia proxy conflict in the region. This resignation was temporarily paused on the request of then-President Michel Aoun for further dialogue.

In the midst of the 2019-2020 Lebanese protests, Hariri again resigned, stepping down alongside his cabinet on October 29, 2019. Despite being designated to form a government in October 2020, he was unable to do so and resigned in July 2021. Hariri announced a temporary withdrawal from political life in January 2022 and did not participate in the May 2022 parliamentary elections.