Former Lebanese finance minister Mohammad Safadi withdrew his candidacy to be the next prime minister on Saturday, saying that he saw that it would have been difficult to form a "harmonious" cabinet supported by all parties.
Safadi, in a statement from his office, said he hoped outgoing prime minister Saad al-Hariri would be designated again for the post. Hariri quit on Oct. 29 in the face of unprecedented anti-government protests.