Saad Hariri

Position: Prime minister, Lebanon

Biography: With the UN court investigating the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri expected to make indictments in early January, tension is mounting in Lebanon. The current prime minister Saad Hariri will need to work closely with President Michel Suleiman to ensure the country’s hard won peace is not lost when the initial findings of the investigation into his father’s death are made public.

It is expected that several members of the Shia paramilitary group Hezbollah will be indicted. Many fear a violent response by Hezbollah and a return to the sectarian violence that blighted the country for much of its recent history.

Saad Hariri is leader of the Future Movement – the largest member of the March 14 Alliance that won the majority of seats in the 2009 parliamentary elections. He has a degree in international business from the US’ Georgetown University.

During 1988 and 2005, Hariri was the general manager of contractor Saudi Oger.