Until today, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s effort have failed to make a breakthrough in the government formation process.
Moreover, the PM Hariri issued on Friday a circular, clarifying circular 21/2018 issued on June 7 and which calls on caretaker ministers to comply with article 64 of the Constitution in performing their governmental duties.
The delay in the cabinet formation process is mainly due to the representation of Christians amid conflicting demands by the LF from one side and the FPM and President Aoun from another side.
The LF wants the seat of the deputy Prime Minister, whereas the president says it is his right to appoint him and some other ministers in order to monitor the cabinet’s work.
The Cabinet formation remains at square one especially that the Free Patriotic Movement leader, MP Gebran Bassil wants the FPM to retain the strongest Christian representation in the new cabinet, thus rejects demands by the LF to be represented by more than three ministerial portfolios.
Bassil stresses that he is holding on to his formation formula, mainly concerning the Christian and Druze obstacles.
