Beirut - Saad Hariri, the head of Lebanon's anti-Syrian ruling majority, was nominated Saturday by 86 of the 128-member parliament to become prime minister in the next cabinet.

The official parliamentary consultations ended noon Saturday and Hariri is now expected to be summoned to the Lebanese presidential palace to be officially designated premier and start forming a new cabinet.

This would be Hariri's first designation to the premiership following the June 7 legislative elections in which his coalition won 71 out of the 128 seats in parliament.

Hariri is to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Fouad Seniora, a member of Hariri's Future Current movement.(dpa)