On Saturday, incoming Prime Minister Tammam Salam announced the formation of a national unity government made up of 24 ministers. After nearly ten months of political gridlock, UN Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon and the European Union's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton welcomed the formation of the government. While Salam said the government would "strengthen national security and stand against all kinds of terrorism" and face the social issue of about a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, it would also lead to the Lebanese presidential election, 2014. The ongoing civil war in Syria has been the source of much division as opposing political parties differ on their support of the Syrian government. Furthermore, incoming Prime Minister Tammam Salam offered a renewed hope that the Lebanese government would allow presidential elections to be held before the incumbent Michel Suleiman's term ends in May and to press ahead with parliamentary elections that were postponed last year.
-William B. Robinson
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