Delays in Lebanese government formation raise security concerns

Madeleine Wahbi
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-11-04

Lebanese Prime Minister-elect Saad al-Hariri (L) meets with parliament speaker Nabih Berri. (Reuters)

BEIRUT — Politicians and observers watch with growing dismay Prime Minister-elect Saad al-Hariri’s continuing inability to close the gap between his party and the opposition to form a compromise government. Of primary concern are the issues of Lebanon’s security and political stability, in addition to larger regional challenges.

“This is not normal,” commented the

After President Michel Suleiman announced that the main parties had agreed on the shape of a power-sharing cabinet, Change and Reform Bloc leader Michel Aoun denied that any such agreement had been reached. When asked about the discrepancy, Al-Hariri only commented that the task would take some time.

Aoun told journalists after a meeting with his party colleagues that he supported a faster negotiation process, but in a manner that protected the rights of all parties.

Aoun revealed that he had lodged a request related to the allocation of ministerial portfolios with Al-Hariri, but stated that he “must remain silent” on the details, given the advanced stage of negotiations.

Jan Aziz, a political analyst with Al-Akhbar, a daily newspaper close to the Hezbollah-led opposition, commented that “the obstacles to the formation of a government are internal. It is a struggle for political dominance and influence in the sharing of power. Opposition parties allied with Hezbollah have accused the majority of seeking to govern unilaterally, while Al-Hariri’s party is accusing the opposition of trying to impose its demands on the majority.”

Political sources are convinced, however, that negotiations are continuing to resolve the government stalemate, which President Suleiman described as “administrative and not political,” adding that only one or two ministries remain to be resolved.

Sources:

Bookmarking

Please comment on this article so that we can improve the experience of viewing this website.