“We neither seek it, nor do we strive for it.” This is what Beirut’s representative in Parliament, Tammam Salam, told me when I asked him about the accuracy of information about him possibly being the March 14 coalition’s candidate for prime minister during the binding parliamentary consultations scheduled to take place on April 5 and 6. But, for clarity’s sake, he added, “If the opportunity arose for us to serve the country, so be it.”
This would seem to mean that he is willing to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati. All that remains is for the March 14 coalition, of which he is a member, to secure the majority of Parliament members’ votes when they hold their binding consultations with President Michel Suleiman. In reality, for him to become prime minister, he would only need the votes of Walid Jumblatt's seven-member moderate bloc.
