Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) — Grass-roots fury rippled across Lebanon on Tuesday as a Hezbollah-backed politician got the nod as the fractious country’s new prime minister.
Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman appointed Hezbollah-backed Najib Mikati to lead the country’s government, seen by supporters of caretaker prime minister Saad Hariri’s Western-backed Future Movement as a power grab by the Iranian-backed Shiite movement.
The appointment was made on a so-called “Day of Rage,” announced by supporters of Hariri.
Hariri’s government collapsed after Hezbollah withdrew its support for Hariri earlier this month.
That came because of Hariri’s cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is expected to indict Hezbollah members in connection with the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, the father of Saad Hariri.
Hariri urged demonstrators on the “Day of Rage” to show restraint and calm as protests sprang up across Lebanon amid the country’s uncertain future.
