His statements come a month after his brother,former prime minister Saad Hariri,announced he was bowing out of politics and would not run in parliamentary elections scheduled for May. Hariri’s bombshell decision marked the first time in three decades the powerful Sunni family would be out of politics,adding uncertainty in a country grappling with a financial meltdown.
The two brothers have been at odds since Saad took over the mantle of his slain father,Rafik Hariri,after he was assassinated in a massive truck bombing in 2005. Afterwards,the family chose Saad to lead,skipping over Bahaa,who is several years his senior.
Bahaa,who is seen as confrontational compared to the more moderate Saad,has in recent years criticised his brother for being too soft and compromising on Hezbollah,coexisting with the Iran-backed group in successive coalition governments he led. That also cost him support from Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia,rival of Iran,who came to perceive him as too lenient with Hezbollah.
Mired in financial troubles and having lost Saudi Arabia’s political support,Hariri announced he was leaving politics,calling on his political movement,the Future Movement,to do the same.
Bahaa Hariri has not said whether he will be running himself or will only support candidates in the elections. It is also not entirely clear whether Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman sees him as the kingdom’s new man in Lebanon.
The 56-year-old businessman has lived outside Lebanon for most of his life. He has been widely criticised for staying away,only parachuting in when his brother hit trouble. Many among those who revolted against the political class in 2019 are unlikely to support Bahaa Hariri,whose family was blamed for corruption in the post-civil war era.