Summary
More than a month after Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister, President Michel Aoun Wednesday called for parliamentary consultations next week.
Aoun set the date for Monday for the binding consultations to designate a new prime minister, a statement from the presidency said.
Hariri Tuesday threw his support behind Khatib but said there were "some details" that still needed to be ironed out.
The Baabda Palace source said Khatib had the full support of four major political camps.
However, three former premiers implicitly criticized the consensus behind Khatib and hit out at Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil.
According to the Constitution, the president should designate a prime minister only after holding consultations with MPs.
Aoun has not formally designated anyone or called for consultations with lawmakers yet.
The three premiers called Aoun's actions a violation that was unprecedented in both the pre- and post-Taif eras and a crime against the Lebanese people's unity and the Constitution.
They lambasted Khatib for what they dubbed violations to the premier's prerogatives, underscoring the need to respect the prime minister's office.
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