Lebanon's new President Michal Sleiman has begun consultations on forming a government of national unity after the parliamentary majority chose Fuad Siniora to reassume the post of premier.
Mr Sleiman met members of the various blocs in parliament and was set to formally appoint Mr Siniora to head a 30-member cabinet of national unity in which the Hezbollah-led opposition will have veto power over key decisions.
Formation of a unity government is a key plank of a deal hammered out by rival factions last week to end an 18-month political crisis that boiled over into deadly fighting and threatened to plunge the nation back into civil war.
Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, also tipped as a possible prime minister, said his bloc had decided to nominate Mr Siniora again as he was the best man for the job.
The opposition, however, made clear that it was not satisfied with the choice of Mr Siniora, saying he did not reflect the spirit of national unity called for in last week's Arab-brokered accord reached in Doha.
Mr Siniora, a Sunni Muslim and close ally of slain former premier Rafiq Hariri, has been prime minister since 2005 and has been heading a caretaker government since Mr Sleiman's election by parliament on Sunday.
Much of Mr Siniora's term has been dominated by the standoff with the Hezbollah-led opposition which withdrew its ministers from his government in 2006 in a bid to force Mr Siniora to resign.
Mr Sleiman, Lebanon's army chief for 10 years, is set to formally appoint Mr Siniora today and the new government is expected to be formed within a week.
