After the resurgence of tensions between Saad Hariri and Gébran Bassil last week and following the latter’s remarks rejecting the initiative of the president of the chamber Nabih Berri stipulating a distribution of one third between Shiite, Sunni and Christian communities and considering him Contrary to the National Pact which induces a split in half each, between Christian and Muslim communities, Hezbollah would have attempted mediation with the president of the Free Patriotic Current in an attempt to calm things down, indicates the Saudi daily Asharq el-Awsat.
It would be about finding a solution to the current impasse within the framework of the formation of a new cabinet, in line with Bassil’s appeal to the leader of Hezbollah, calling on him to become a mediator in the case.
Side of the Speaker of the House, we maintain the initiative, noting that the Prime Minister designate who left for Abu Dhabi will not withdraw, freezing the positions between presidency of the republic and the latter. Now the alliance between Hariri and Berri is being made in broad daylight, note some observers who are now pessimistic about a possible short-term solution to the political situation. They thus accuse the president of the chamber of wanting to question the National Pact with a third distribution of political power between Christian, Sunni and Shiite communities instead of an equal distribution between Muslim and Christian communities.
A country without a government as the economic crisis hits it hard
Lebanon has been without government since the resignation, on August 10, of outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
The formation of a new government is considered as one of the preconditions for the relaunch of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund in order to obtain the release of financial aid from the international community in the face of the economic crisis that Lebanon is going through.
Following Mustafa Adib’s failure to form a cabinet, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who resigned following major protests in October 2019, was tasked with forming a new government in October 2020.
In an attempt to unblock the situation, the former prime minister promised the Amal movement to allocate the portfolio of the finance ministry to a member of the Shiite community. He also reiterated that Lebanon could do without a state of default, thus denying the gravity of the economic crisis however experienced by the population, with 55% of it now living below the poverty line while the economic recession has reached 29% according to some reports for the year 2020.
However, Saad Hariri’s proposals for an 18-member cabinet clash with the Presidency of the Republic, who points out that if the Shiite and Sunni communities choose their representatives, the Christian representatives in the new cabinet would also be chosen by the former. designated minister. General Aoun de facto considers that the current proposals of the Prime Minister contravene both the Lebanese constitution and the national pact.
The latter, for his part, accuses the head of state of wanting to obtain a blocking third party within his new cabinet.
