Jumblat Wants Arslan Part of His Share in New Cabinet

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stated that he does not mind to include MP Talal Arslan as part of his share in the new cabinet line-up, media reports said on Tuesday.

In a government composed of 24 ministers, head of the Democratic Gathering bloc Jumblat wants one of the two seats allocated for the Druze community to be given to someone who represents him while the second one shall be given to leader of the Lebanese Democratic party MP Talal Arslan, al-Joumhouria daily said.

Al-Akhbar daily stated that the PSP leader wants to give the first seat to MP Marwan Hamadeh.

Last week, when suggestions were that a cabinet be formed of 30 ministers instead of 24, reports said that Jumblat proposed the appointment of Ayman Shqeir and MPs Marwan Hamadeh and Talal Arslan as ministers in Saad Hariri's government.

He proposed three names under an inclination that the government will be formed of 30 minsters instead of the original 24.

Parties working on lining up the cabinet have reportedly dropped this suggestion and are mulling a cabinet composed of 24 instead to downsize the demands of political parties for ministerial portfolios.

The political forces are reportedly pushing for forming the cabinet before Independence Day, which Lebanon marks on November 22.

Horsetrading is currently revolving around the distribution of the so-called sovereign ministerial portfolios – finance, defense, foreign affairs and interior – and other key portfolios like energy and public works.