国际英语新闻：Protests spread across Lebanon over imminent premiership designation

BEIRUT, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Supporters of Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri took to the streets Monday to protest against the imminent nomination of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati for the new premiership.

Supporters of Hariri's party Future Movement headed to the streets in the northern city of Tripoli, the Bekaa Valley, the southern city of Sidon and in some neighborhoods in Beirut.

Blocking roads and burning tires, they showed support for Hariri and protested Mikati's nomination to the premiership by the March 8 coalition headed by Shiite armed group Hezbollah. The Lebanese Army worked until late to disperse the crowds and reopen the roads.

The post of prime minister was expected to be allocated to a Sunni figure by standing convention in Lebanon.

Future Movement MP Mohammed Kabbara called for "a day of rage" throughout Lebanon Tuesday to condemn what he called Hezbollah's " intervention in the affairs of the Sunnis."

The street protests erupted while President Michel Suleiman was polling lawmakers on their choices as part of two-day binding consultations to name a new prime minister following the collapse of Hariri's Cabinet. The outcome of the first day's consultations showed 58 lawmakers backed Mikati while 49 voted for Hariri.

Consultations will go on Tuesday and Mikati is expected to secure at least 65 votes out of the parliament's 128 seats, ensuring his designation as the prime minister.

Hezbollah and the Future Movement have been caught in a dangerous deadlock over the probe of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon into the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

The UN-backed court is widely expected to point the finger at Hezbollah members, but the powerful has dubbed the court a "US- Israeli" project aimed at sowing strife in Lebanon and rejected all cooperation with the legal body.

Hariri, whose national unity government was brought down on Jan. 12 after ministers of Hezbollah and its allies in the March 8 Alliance resigned, has vowed to seek a new term.

Mikati, a 55-year-old Forbes-listed tycoon and a lawmaker of Tripoli with close ties to Syria, told reporters he would act as a consensual representative of all parties if appointed as prime minister.

"If I am asked to form the government, I will extend my hand to everyone to serve Lebanon's interests without excluding anyone or taking revenge against anyone," he said, "I tell Prime Minister Saad Hariri to let us all work together for the sake of Lebanon."