Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced Thursday that he is “optimistic” the the new government will be formed soon.
“We hope to read together, build together, work together and form the government together,” said Hariri during a visit to the 23rd edition of the Francophone Book Fair in BIEL.
Asked when the new cabinet line-up will be announced, Hariri said, “If we work together swiftly, the government can be formed very soon.”
“Like all Lebanese, I’m optimistic and God willing this matter will happen soon,” the PM-designate added.
Hariri’s appointment as premier-designate and the election of Michel Aoun as president after two and a half years of presidential vacuum have raised hopes that Lebanon can begin tackling challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political class and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.
In a sign that Hariri’s task ahead might not be easy, Hizbullah’s MPs declined to endorse him for the prime minister post.
Hariri is likely to struggle with his government’s policy statement, which will have to make reference to Israel, as well as the war in Syria, both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah.
The process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the finance, defense and energy ministries.
Lebanon
