On 20 April 2005, the Hariri family announced that Saad Hariri would lead the
Future Movement, an essentially
Sunni movement that was created and led by his father. He was the leader of the
March 14 Alliance, a coalition of political groups born out of the
Cedar Revolution which, through mass popular demonstrations and Western support, led to the
withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in 2005 after a 29-year presence. According to
WikiLeaks documents, Hariri met with Ambassador
Jeffrey D. Feltman on 20 August during the
2006 Lebanon War, during which he criticized Army Commander
Michel Suleiman for his subservient behavior towards Hezbollah following a statement he issued in support of them, and called Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri asking him to transfer the Shiite officers from the shipping station at Beirut International Airport, claiming that the United Nations wanted this, and also informed Berri, that he was ready to “strike and overthrow Hezbollah” if he gets the opportunity.
First tenure and collapse Hariri was first elected prime minister from 9 November 2009 until 13 June 2011. On 12 January 2011, minutes after Hariri posed for pictures with President
Barack Obama in the
Oval Office, the opposition parties resigned from his unity government
cabinet, causing its collapse. The withdrawal of
Hezbollah and its allies was due to political tensions arising from investigations into the
assassination of Rafic Hariri. Hezbollah operatives of
Unit 121 had been accused of assassinating Rafic Hariri. which was expected to indict
Hezbollah members in
the assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafic Hariri. Following the fall of the government reports of an "imminent release" of the indictments circulated, though constitutionally there would be no government to receive the indictment as this was first time in Lebanese history a government had fallen after the resignations of a third of the government. Preliminary indictments were issued 17 January as expected,) though they were pending STL approval. The government lasted barely 14-months and was considered by the opposition as dysfunctional; its collapse precipitated a climate of political deadlock and tension similar to that which existed between
2006 and 2008. Hariri continued on for four months as caretaker prime minister. He vowed to find a way out of the crisis saying his allies and he would take part in "consultations" to a name a new leader.
Nabih Berri, the Lebanese parliamentary speaker and a member of the March 8 alliance, said Suleiman would formally launch talks to create a new government on 16 January. However, March 8 said it would no longer be involved in an Hariri government.
Mohammad Raad, an Hezbollah MP, said his party would nominate a candidate for prime minister who has "a history of resistance." Though, March 14 said it would not accept anyone other than Hariri. One of his bloc's MP's,
Boutros Harb, said "I do not see a government in the country without Saad Hariri." The new Lebanese government was formed on 13 June 2011 and headed by
Najib Mikati. Mikati created an 8 March-led government coalition.
Second tenure Following more than two years of deadlock in
electing a president,
Michel Aoun was elected. Shortly after, Aoun signed a decree appointing Hariri as prime minister for the second time and he took office on 18 December 2016. Iran vehemently rejected Saad Hariri's remarks and called his resignation part of a plot by the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia to heighten Middle Eastern tensions. The Lebanese Army responded with a statement that intelligence in its possession in addition to ongoing arrests and investigations had not revealed "the presence of any plan for assassinations in the country." Most Iran-leaning or Shia-aligned Lebanese groups, including Hezbollah, were among the first to accuse Saudi Arabia of holding Hariri
hostage. Hariri's associates and Saudi officials subsequently denied this. Several Lebanese commentators poked fun at the released pictures of Hariri in Saudi Arabia for their apparent similarity to those taken of hostages. Anti-Hezbollah blogger Michael Young stated that he did not think Hariri was an actual hostage of the Saudi regime, but that the situation confirmed Hariri's close ties with them. However, Lebanese-American political scientist
As'ad AbuKhalil claimed that the Saudis had jailed and physically restrained and assaulted Hariri before ordering him to broadcast his resignation. In November, it was announced that Hariri was on his way from
Saudi Arabia to the
United Arab Emirates. Hariri's own party's media outlet reported that he would then move on to
Bahrain and later back to
Beirut, but both of these trips were subsequently cancelled and he was sent back to
Riyadh. Hariri's allies, who usually aligned with Saudi Arabia, then joined the other parties in their concern for Hariri's freedom being limited by Saudi Arabia. The majority of the Lebanese government requested his return. On 11 November, Lebanese President
Michel Aoun released the statement: "Lebanon does not accept its prime minister being in a situation at odds with international treaties and the standard rules in relations between states." Later in November, Hariri traveled to France to meet French President
Emmanuel Macron. Macron specifically requested he take his wife and children along with him. He was able to make such a request due to Hariri's French citizenship. He refused to talk about what happened in Saudi Arabia and claimed that events will remain undisclosed. He rescinded his resignation on 5 December and stated that all members of the government had agreed to stay out of conflicts in Arab countries.
2019 protests and resignation In mid-October 2019, a
popular protest movement began calling for increased accountability and transparency in politics. His government was widely viewed as corrupt by the Lebanese people. Gunfire was heard outside the
Tripoli office of Firas Al-Ali, an associate of Hariri. None were injured with the clash, and security forces were quick to act. On 21 October, a general strike was called across the country demanding an end to the country's economic problems. Some protesters began clearing away demonstration debris in Beirut after a social media call to keep the streets tidy and clear. In the afternoon, an emergency cabinet meeting was held. After the meeting, Prime Minister Hariri held a press conference in which he announced various economic reforms including halving the salaries of legislators and members of parliament, reducing the deficit by about US$3.4 billion in 2020 with the help of the Lebanese central bank and the banking sector, distributing financial aid to families living in poverty, and giving US$160 million in housing loans. These proposals were unsuccessful at quelling protests. , carrying a sign that reads "No to Sectarian Rule". 23 October 2019. Hariri met on 22 October with
ambassadors from the
United States,
Russia,
France, the
United Kingdom,
Germany,
Italy, and the
European Union, along with representatives from
China, the
United Nations, and the
Arab League. Hariri discussed planned reforms and stressed the importance of peaceful expression from the protesters. The representatives, who form the International Support Group for Lebanon, expressed support for economic reforms and protection of protesters, but urged the leaders of Lebanon to engage in open dialogue with the country's citizens. On 23 October, Hariri held a meeting with the ministerial committee in charge of financial and economic reforms, discussing a draft law on the recovery of public money and requesting suggestions on it from the Supreme Judicial Council within ten days. In the evening, Hariri also held a meeting with members of the
Progressive Socialist Party to discuss the latest developments in the country. Sheikh Akl of the Lebanese
Druze community called for government dialogue to safeguard the rights of liberty, security and stability. On 29 October, Hariri offered his resignation as a concession, saying "This is in response to the will and demand of the thousands of Lebanese demanding change". The following day, President Michel Aoun accepted the resignation but requested that Hariri remain in office till a successor was appointed.
Hassan Diab, the former
education minister, was appointed to the role on 21 January 2020. On 10 August 2020, Diab resigned in the aftermath of the
Beirut explosion due to mounting political pressure and anger at the Lebanese government for their failure to prevent the disaster, exacerbated by existing political tensions and upheavals within the country. On 16 December, at noon, President Aoun delayed scheduled parliamentary consultations, during which Saad Hariri was widely expected to be renamed Prime Minister. This was because Hariri was now no longer being supported by the main Christian parties in parliament. At night, protesters gathered close to Saad Hariri's Beirut residence to reject his reappointment. A separate group of protesters descended upon Beirut as well, expressing outrage at a month-old video of an ex-pat insulting several
Shi'a religious leaders.
2020–21 premiership designation After the resignation of Hassan Diab, Hariri and the
Prime Ministers' club favored the Lebanese ambassador to Germany,
Mustapha Adib, to be the next prime minister. Although he was appointed after being nominated by 90 of 120 MPs on 30 August, he stepped down three weeks later after failing to form a new cabinet. On 8 October, Hariri announced in an interview that he was "definitely a candidate" for the position, and called other political parties not to waste what was called the "French Initiative". On 22 October, Saad Hariri was reappointed as prime minister. After days and 18 meetings with Aoun, he had yet failed to form a government. He met with
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey in January 2021,
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt in February, and visited
Mohammed bin Zayed in United Arab Emirates several times. Hariri has been criticized for spending a great amount of time outside Lebanon, while the absence of a government worsened the financial crisis in the country, and his trips were seen as an attempt to compensate the support he lacked from Saudi Arabia. On 16 March, the exchange rate reached 15,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar. The next day, Aoun called Hariri to meet him. After the meeting, Hariri announced that the government could be formed soon. However, on 29 March, he claimed that Aoun proposed a formation that included the blocking third for FPM, which he rejected, and released another formation consisting of 18 ministers to the media. On 15 July, he decided to step down from his designation. After the anger among the Lebanese, President Michel Aoun and Prime minister-designate Saad Hariri held immediate talks in the presidential palace. After that, on 17 March 2021, the President told Hariri that he should form a government immediately and that if he's unable to do so "he should make way for those who are". Aoun also maintained that inaction was no longer a choice for the PM-designate Hariri and had to choose between stepping down or forming a government. On 22 March, and after several meetings between with President Aoun, Hariri said that the demands of the President were "unacceptable", causing Lebanon to witness a failure to form a new government, which worsened the crisis. According to Hariri, President Aoun presented him with a line-up granting his team a third of all cabinet seats, which would enable them to have veto power over decision making in the Lebanese government. Hariri was said to have been criticized by Aoun for disclosing his proposed government to the media, because the distribution of the ministries was unjust which was his reason for not agreeing to the line-up, according to Al Jazeera. After the meeting which only lasted for just 35 minutes, another date for a new meeting between Hariri and Aoun could not be confirmed.
2022 political step-down On 24 January 2022 Hariri announced his withdrawal from Lebanese politics and that he would not run in the
2022 general elections. He also called on the Future Movement to follow suit and not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections nor nominate anyone to run on its behalf.
2025 political return After returning to Beirut in 2025 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his father's assassination, he announced in front of thousands of supporters that the
Future Movement will return to Lebanese politics and will run lists in upcoming elections. In April 2025 he announced that the party would abstain from
Lebanon's municipal elections, arguing that such elections should remain non-political and developmental in nature. ==Personal life==