BEIRUT • A former education minister backed by the militant Hezbollah group and its allies was selected Thursday as Lebanon’s new prime minister to break a political impasse amid mass protests, although he almost immediately ran into opposition from demonstrators on the streets.

Hassan Diab, a professor at the American University of Beirut, was named by President Michel Aoun after a day of consultations with lawmakers in which he gained a simple majority in the 128-member parliament. He won support from 69 lawmakers, including the parliamentary bloc of the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal movements, as well as lawmakers affiliated with Aoun.

But Diab failed to get the support of Lebanon’s major Sunni leaders, including former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. That is key because under the country’s sectarian-based system, the premier must come from the Sunni community.

That also will make it difficult for him to form an inclusive Cabinet able to gain the international community’s trust and unlock badly needed assistance for the tiny Mediterranean country that is facing its worst economic and financial crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Friendly nations, including France, have made clear they will not support the heavily indebted nation.

Newly-assigned Lebanese Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, speaks to journalists after his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. Aoun named Diab as prime minister after a day of consultations with lawmakers in which he gained a simple majority of the 128-member parliament. Sixty-nine lawmakers, including the parliamentary bloc of the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal movements as well as lawmakers affiliated with President Michel Aoun gave him their votes. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Hussein Malla