FACTBOX: Next steps in Lebanon's political process

(Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament is due to elect army chief General Michel Suleiman as president on Sunday, filling a post left vacant for six months because of a political crisis that had pushed the country to the brink of a new civil war.

The election is part of a deal to end the conflict through the formation of a new cabinet in which the Hezbollah-led opposition will have effective veto power.

Following is a step by step guide to what happens next:

- Suleiman consults parliament on choosing a new prime minister, who must be a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system. The president must appoint whoever is nominated by the majority of MPs. Majority leader Saad al-Hariri, son of assassinated Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, is seen as a frontrunner for the post.

- The nominated prime minister holds consultations with parliament on his cabinet line-up and must gain the president's consent. The Qatari-mediated deal that ended the crisis states that the ruling alliance will have 16 seats in the new cabinet and the opposition 11. The new president will nominate three of its ministers.

- The new cabinet draws up a policy statement within days of taking office. The government reads it to parliament ahead of a confidence vote.

- Suleiman will chair talks among rival leaders dealing with divisive issues. The fate of Hezbollah's arms, one of the issues at the heart of the political crisis, will be on the table.