Saad al-Hariri appeared on course to be chosen for a fourth term as Lebanon's prime minister on Thursday.
Hariri would still face major challenges to navigate Lebanon's power-sharing politics and agree a cabinet, which must then address a mounting list of woes: a banking crisis, currency crash, rising poverty and crippling state debts.
A new government will also have to contend with a COVID-19 surge and the fallout of the huge August explosion at Beirut port that killed nearly 200 people and caused billions of dollars of damage.
Hariri's last coalition government was toppled almost exactly a year ago as protests gripped the country, furious at Lebanon's ruling elite.
He needed to win support on Thursday from parliamentarians who were meeting President Michel Aoun, after weeks of political wrangling that has delayed a deal on a new government.
Hariri was backed by his own Future lawmakers, Druze politician Walid Jumblatt's party and other small blocs.
He has presented himself as the "natural candidate" to build a cabinet that can revive the French roadmap, which set out reforms needed to trigger foreign aid.
Thursday's consultations were postponed from last week amid political rifts. Aoun is required to choose the candidate with the most support from lawmakers.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and injured six people in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on Wednesday, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.
Five migrants died in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to Britain in an overcrowded small boat on Tuesday, hours after Britain passed a bill to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda in a move to deter the dangerous journeys.
Israel bombarded northern Gaza overnight in some of the heaviest shelling in weeks, causing panic amongst residents and flattening neighbourhoods in an area from which the Israeli army had previously down its troops, residents said on Tuesday.
Every weekday afternoon, Helen Farmer will help you to navigate the highs and lows of life in the UAE. Stay up to date with what’s happening and where to go.
John Lyons of Espace Real Estate says there is a slight slowdown in the property market during summer. So we asked him, does this mean prices are negotiable during the summer months?
Lawyer Rebecca Kelly of Clyde & Co. explained why UAE judicial authorities are setting up new offices to deal with financial crime, including money laundering.