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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon’s Hariri Steps Away from Politics, Upending Election Landscape

Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrives for a press conference in the capital Beirut on January 24, 2022. (AFP)

Lebanese Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri said on Monday he was stepping back from political life and would not run in the parliamentary election, turning Lebanon's sectarian politics on its head as the country grapples with a financial crisis.

Hariri, three times prime minister, also called on his party not to run any candidates in May's vote, indicating several factors were behind his decision, including Iranian influence -- a reference to the Hezbollah party.

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