S’exprimant lors d’une conférence de presse à l’issue d’une réunion du bloc parlementaire des Forces Libanaises, Samir Geagea a indiqué que ces derniers, après s’être concertés, ne nommeront pas Saad Hariri comme prochain Premier Ministre, en dépit d’une amitié “historique et objective”.
“Ce n’est pas un coup de poignard aux yeux du public “pour ne pas le nommer Premier ministre, car nous avons toute liberté de nommer qui nous jugeons bon”, estime le dirigeant des Forces Libanaises rappelant par ailleurs son soutien à feuille de route française.
Il estime ainsi que le Liban a désespérément besoin d’un gouvernement de sauvetage et la population rejette actuellement la classe politique.
Pour rappel, les consultations parlementaires obligatoires devraient se tenir ce jeudi 15 octobre au Palais Présidentiel de Baabda à l’appel du chef de l’état. Un nouveau premier ministre devrait être nommé à l’issue de ces consultations.
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.
