BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese President Michel Aoun called for formal consultations on Monday with lawmakers to designate a new prime minister, a statement from the presidency said on Wednesday.

Aoun is required to designate the candidate with the greatest support among Lebanon’s 128 lawmakers. The prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim according to Lebanon’s sectarian system of government.

Saad al-Hariri, the outgoing prime minister, quit on Oct. 29 in response to protests against the ruling elite.

Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Hugh Lawson