Outgoing Lebanese PM withdraws candidacy for post

Outgoing Lebanese PM withdraws candidacy for post:

Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy for the premiership, saying he hoped to clear the way for a solution to the political impasse amid weeks of anti-government protests.

Hariri resigned nearly a month ago in response to mass protests ignited by a severe financial crisis. His resignation met a key demand of the protesters but plunged the country into uncertainty, with no clear path to resolving its economic and political problems.

Politicians have failed to agree on the shape and form of a new government. Hariri had insisted on heading a government of technocrats, while his opponents, including the militant group Hezbollah, want a Cabinet made up of both experts and politicians.

The frustrated protesters have resorted to road closures and other tactics in an effort to pressure politicians into responding to their demands for a new government.