Report: Aoun Wished Govt. Would Be Formed before Election Anniversary

President Michel Aoun was reportedly disappointed that a government was not formed before his second anniversary as head of state, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Wednesday.

Well-informed political sources said the new obstacle, related to the representation of opposition Sunni MPs, that delayed the government formation further, has “echoed negatively” among circles of the President and his Free Patriotic Movement.

Aoun was hoping the government would be formed before he celebrates the second anniversary of his election, which happens today, the daily said.

The President is set to make a televised appearance on the occasion to talk about the achievements of his presidential term and the plans that he is counting on to implement through the new government.

A new obstacle had emerged Monday in the cabinet formation process after Hizbullah insisted that a grouping of Sunni MPs opposed to Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri should be represented in the government.

The so-called Sunni hurdle is the last obstacle delaying the formation of the government after a standoff over Christian and Druze seats was resolved.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has meanwhile announced that he'd rather step down than give independent Sunni MPs a seat from his own ministerial share.

The sources told al-Hayat that “as much as this new condition constitutes a slap for Hariri and his mission, it also constitutes a slap for Hizbullah’s ally Aoun, who was hoping to celebrate the anniversary under a new government.”