BEIRUT: Lebanon’s caretaker Information Minister Melhem Riachi indicated the imminent formation of a new government, tweeting: “And finally it is concluded on Friday Feb. 1, 2019.”
Lebanon has been without a government for 251 days as Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has been unable to form a national unity government due to obstacles created by political parties.
The most recent obstacle was the Shiite party Hezbollah’s demand to include six Sunni opponents of Hariri, who is also Sunni, as representatives in the government. Another obstacle concerned the allocation of some ministerial portfolios to political parties.
“Hariri is taking positive steps in the coming hours, and wants to resolve the issue of forming a government this week,” a source close to him told Arab News.
“Hariri is initially faced with three options: Form a new government and submit it to the president in the coming hours, step aside if the obstruction persists, or reactivate the caretaker government and name the obstructionists in a press conference.”
Consultations took place this week in Beirut and Paris, where Hariri and Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil were present.
Anti-Hariri Sunni MP Abdul Rahim Mourad told Arab News that he expects a new government to be announced in the next 48 hours.
