Caretaker premier Najib Mikati and Nawaf Salam, a favourite of anti-Hezbollah lawmakers who is the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, have emerged as the frontrunners.
The eastern Mediterranean nation had been without a president since October 2022, run by a caretaker government amid a crushing economic crisis compounded by all-out war between Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel.
Opposition lawmakers on Saturday had thrown their backing behind anti-Hezbollah lawmaker Fouad Makhzoumi, a wealthy businessman who has good ties with Gulf countries and Washington.
Aoun's consultations with political blocs got underway at 8:15 am (0615 GMT) with a meeting with deputy parliament speaker Elias Abu Saab, the official National News Agency said.
A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that both Hezbollah and powerful parliament speaker Nabih Berri's Amal movement supported Mikati.
Saudi Arabia and the United States were among key countries driving diplomatic efforts to end the presidential vacuum.
Mikati, who has already formed three governments and has good relations with Lebanon's political parties and several foreign countries, has denied any such prior arrangement exists.
Mikati said on the sidelines of the presidential vote on Thursday that he was ready to serve the country “if needed”.
They will also face the daunting task of reconstructing swathes of the country after the Israel-Hezbollah war and implementing the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which includes the thorny issue of disarming Hezbollah.
Other lawmakers have instead proposed International Court of Justice judge Salam, a highly respected former ambassador whose name frequently comes up in such consultations.
Hezbollah's opponents see Mikati as part of an old political system that the militant group has within its grip.
According to Lebanon's constitution, the president designates the prime minister in consultation with the parliament speaker, choosing the candidate with the most votes during the consultations.
The process has previously taken weeks or even months due to deep political divisions and horse-trading.
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