As the announcement of his withdrawal was announced for Friday, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri could present a new government formula this week, sources close to House of Representatives Speaker Nabih Berri said.
For now, the date of Saad Hariri’s visit to the Baabda Presidential Palace remains unknown and unconfirmed by the Presidency of the Republic. It is also unclear what this new formula consists of.
If this attempt fails, Saad Hariri could announce the withdrawal of his candidacy.
As a reminder, Lebanon has not had a government for 11 months now, while the local social and economic situation continues to deteriorate following the resignation of the Hassan Diab government 6 days after the explosion of the Port of Beirut.
After presenting a formula of 18 ministers, Saad Hariri broadened his proposal to a 24-member government giving one-third to the Sunni community, another to the Shia community and a third to the Christian community. However, the President of the Republic stresses that this formula contradicts the national pact stipulating a distribution half between Christian and Muslim community.
Another contentious point, the attribution of the ministries of the interior and of justice, while several relatives of the Prime Minister designate and the President of the Chamber of Deputies are currently suspected of embezzlement or of being involved in the explosion of the port of Beirut.
