Lebanon: Bahaa, brother of Saad Hariri, intends to launch the legislative elections

In this February 19, 2005 file photo, Bahaa Hariri, right, and Saad Hariri, son of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, visit the places where their father lost his life in Beirut.

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1 min

Lebanese businessman Bahaa Hariri has announced his intention to participate in the next legislative elections, scheduled for May, a few days after the announcement of the withdrawal of his brother, Saad and his party from political life.

Bahaa Hariri did not specify whether he intended to stand personally for the elections, but he assured that he would soon return to Lebanon.

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With our correspondent in Beirut,

Bahaa Hariri did not wait for his brother

to step down to enter politics.

The eldest son of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, who had been tipped to succeed his father who was assassinated in 2005, before being dismissed a few days after the funeral in favor of his younger brother, has been talking about him for a year.

Very verbose, he comments on political developments in Lebanon in tweets and statements.

A few months ago, he founded a movement, "Sawa li Loubnan", "Together for Lebanon", in Arabic.

This structure multiplies poster campaigns and spots on social networks a few weeks before the legislative elections.

Bahaa Hariri also founded a media outlet, Sawt Beirut International, last year.

Very dynamic, this media has entered into partnerships with the LBC, one of the most important television channels in Lebanon.

This 56-year-old businessman adopts a discourse resolutely hostile to Hezbollah and Iran, which Saad Hariri, who presented himself as a figure of moderate Sunnism, avoided doing despite pressure from Saudi Arabia.

Bahaa Hariri's announcement, preceded by several other Sunni political figures, proves that the community is not planning to boycott the elections despite Saad Hariri's withdrawal.

►Read again: In Lebanon, consternation after the announcement of Hariri's withdrawal from political life

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• Lebanon

• Saad Hariri