Why They Chose Seniora

A loyal, thick-skinned and safe pair of hands with no political aspirations is what March 14 wants right now.

(source)

Mr. Hariri was tempted, but something didn’t feel quite right. So he decided to consult his base and his allies and got an unanimous reaction: We love you, but now is not the right time.

It would be political suicide for Mr. Hariri to be Prime Minister ahead of a crucial election. It would allow the opposition to do to him what they did to Mr. Seniora: Blame him for all that is wrong in the country, from high food and oil prices to security outbrakes, in order to score points in the upcomming elections.

By keeping his distance from office, Mr. Hariri will focus on building alliances, on reviewing his long-term strategy and on consolidating his movement. Mr. Seniora on the other hand is used to being a straw man and has proven his mettle for keeping his cool under fire.

This might anger the opposition a bit, but Mr. Seniora is March 14’s best bet for this period.