The Next Prime Minister?

There are going to be some very tough and probably unpopular reforms you are going to have to implement if you become prime minister.

Yes. I think one of the major priorities is the legal system. We need to make it up-to-date. Social Security is a big problem. Those are big challenges -- things that cannot be done overnight. We have to understand that we come out of 30 years of not making decisions by ourselves, of having [another] country telling us what to do. Now we have to make decisions by ourselves.

Are you afraid of suffering the fate of your father?

Whoever killed Rafiq Hariri can kill Saad Hariri. Nothing would stop them.

That does not deter you?

It doesn't.

Are the Syrians really out of this country -- not just the army but also the intelligence services?

I believe that with time, this is going to get better. After the elections, we [must] start getting rid of people who used to work in intelligence and in politics at the same time.

As you negotiate alliances, some would-be partners have tried to separate you from Walid Jumblatt, who has been a key opposition leader.

I am not going to leave Jumblatt in the middle of the road. Our main ally in the opposition is Walid Jumblatt.

What can you do about disarming Hezbollah?

I think all Lebanese agree that Hezbollah should stay a Lebanese problem. After the elections we can sit with Hezbollah and negotiate a peaceful way like we did in the past. The only difference between Hezbollah and other militias is that Hezbollah is a resistance against Israeli occupation. Part of Lebanon is still occupied.