Reports: Hariri May Present 18-Minister Line-Up despite Objections
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri will submit to President Michel Aoun during his visit to Baabda on Wednesday a draft cabinet line-up based on an 18-minister format “unless some side intervenes to restore communication between the presidency” and Hariri, al-Jadeed TV said on Monday.
“There is no serious and real communication over the issue of government, contrary to what the presidency’s statement tried to reflect, and according to some reports, thing have returned to square one,” al-Jadeed added.
The Free Patriotic Movement meanwhile considers that Wednesday’s meeting will be “decisive” as to whether the government will be “formed or obstructed,” the TV network reported.
MP Qassem Hashem of Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc meanwhile told al-Jadeed that the government was supposed be formed in the beginning of this week.
“But complications surfaced after no agreement was reached over the number of ministers in the government. Some said that happened after President Aoun’s meeting with (FPM chief Jebran) Bassil, who proposed the idea of enlarging the government to represent allies, especially (Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal) Arslan,” Hashem added.
Resigned MP Marwan Hamadeh for his part told al-Jadeed that the disputed second Druze seat is “a Trojan horse aimed at securing a one-third veto power for the FPM and Jebran Bassil through a Druze minister.”
According to media reports, Hariri is insisting on an 18-minister cabinet containing one Druze minister while Bassil and Arslan have called for a 20-seat government in order to represent the latter’s party with a second Druze minister.
02 November 2020, 17:02
01
I have never seen a country as small as The Banana Republic of Lebanon, that needs 30 ministers. Overtime a new government is to be formed they argue how many ministers, 30, 24, 20, 18, 26, etc...
Yet people wonder why the government is corrupt and bloated with people who get a salary and do absolutely nothing.
For such a small country there should be no more that 10-15 Ministries tops. Some ministries needs to be merged ( Health & Social Services), (Finance & Economy) as examples. Some other needs to eliminated like Ministry of Information and some just need to be sold to the private sector like Electricity and Telecom. Also no Minister of state without portfolios. That's one of the biggest rues they perpetrate on the Lebanese people. What do they do exactly.
02 November 2020, 21:13
01
When you were the prime minister before and resigned, you weren't "hated" by the people that revolted, it was understood you were just trying to do what you can with what you are allowed. Now you have crossed into the hate region by pandering to the exact same reason Lebanon is in the mess it is in, claims a government of experts yet pandering to religious leaders and parties to select their representatives, nothing has changed. This is why this country should be designated as a failed state.
