Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat criticized on Tuesday the prolonged presidential vacuum, while hailing the efforts of Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb in resolving the garbage disposal crisis.

He said via Twitter: “I wonder at how the presidential race now has to pass through the garbage dumps instead of ballot boxes.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat presented Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri during his recent trip to Saudi Arabia with a “comprehensive” deal over the presidential deadlock and the garbage disposal crisis, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday.

Informed sources told the daily that his proposal calls for reaching an agreement over a new president and understandings over a new government and parliamentary electoral.

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat held talks on Wednesday with head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri in Saudi Arabia.

A statement from the former premier's office said that the two officials met in Riyadh to discuss the latest local developments in Lebanon, most notably the political deadlock over the election of a president.

Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated that the national dialogue would collapse in the absence of Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun, describing the talks as “Oxygen.”

In remarks to his visitors, Berri said: “The obstruction of dialogue by any side is similar to blocking itself in a room.”

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat slammed recent statements made by officials to strike a political settlement that would have resolved the cabinet crisis.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published on Thursday, Jumblat said: “I am monitoring the random remarks which aim at striking the political settlement that we were on the verge of reaching with MP Michel Aoun and which was thwarted the last minute.”

Al-Mustaqbal Movement has reportedly approved a proposal for the government to approve military promotions, a step forward to resolve the cabinet crisis over the issue which is a key demand of Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun.

As Safir daily said Tuesday that al-Mustaqbal added a condition on the promotions, calling for the appointment of a new director-general and a new command council for the Internal Security Forces.

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat has mocked the failure to elect a new president by proposing to move the national dialogue from Beirut to the islands of Seychelles.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Wednesday, Jumblat said he made the proposal to insist that “the conditions are not yet ripe for the election of a president.”

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat said on Monday that the list of corrupt politicians in Lebanon is endless, expressing surprise at the fact that the protesters held banners in Sunday's demonstration limiting corruption to only three, including him.

“Yes I am part of this political strata condemned by the popular civil society movements, and I am accused until proven guilty. But at the same time I have the right to express surprise at the fact that they have limited the accusations of corruption to only three politicians, raising their pictures in the demos,” Jumblat told As Safir daily on Monday.

Efforts exerted by Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat to resolve the cabinet crisis linked to the appointment of high-ranking military and security officials have reached a dead-end, An Nahar daily reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper said that a proposal made by Jumblat to promote a few army officers, including Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, from brigadier-general to the rank of major-general has been rejected by several Lebanese officials and the army leadership.

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat is exerting efforts to resolve the army appointments crisis by trying to appease Change and Reform bloc leader lawmaker Michel Aoun and other parties through the promotion of only three army officers, al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper said that Jumblat has tasked Health Minister Wael Abou Faour to hold contacts and meetings to assess whether the promotion of the three officers, including Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, is acceptable.