Anxious Berri Says Hariri Dragging His Feet on Govt. Formation

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Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has lamented what he called the absence of “any serious cabinet formation efforts.”

In an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper published Thursday, Berri said he does not have an idea about what is going in Premier-designate Saad Hariri's mind other than that “he is dragging his feet on the formation process.”

“What we know is the news that we are hearing. One time we hear about agreements and another we hear that there are no agreements but rather obstruction,” Berri added.

“We no longer know the source of the problem that is causing this procrastination. If it is external they should tell us and if it is domestic they should also tell us. I had insisted that the government be formed before Eid al-Fitr but no one listened,” the Speaker went on to say.

He warned that even after the formation of the new cabinet, the ministerial policy statement is expected to take “a month” in the making.

Asked how to end the country's recurrent problem of protracted cabinet formation negotiations, Berri said: “This issue indicates the presence of real flaws in the Constitution.”

“When a person is tasked with forming a government, this does not mean that they have as much time as they want. They should only have some time to carry out consultations and reach agreements on the line-up. Right now we are in a totally different situation,” the Speaker lamented.

He added: “It is not the foreign pressure that is worrying me, seeing as it can be contained, but rather the domestic pressure, especially the economic issue, which is now combined with the security problem in northern Bekaa.”

Comments 1
Missing ysurais 21 June 2018, 16:00

PLS Mr Speaker myb u can wake him up to Mr PM to stop procrastinating and form a GOV asap.

Also myb u can do z same in normal life with all z acting deputies in yur house chamber that are supposed to be bringing and drafting new law/s in z parliament for the country?