Lebanon: the press skeptical after the return of Saad Harriri as head of government
Saad Hariri, newly appointed Prime Minister of Lebanon, here at the presidential palace to meet with President Michel Aoun, October 22, 2020 in Beirut.
AP Photo / Hussein Malla
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Saad Hariri is due to begin consultations this Friday, October 23 to form a government, after his appointment the day before as Prime Minister.
He said he wanted to form a cabinet of "specialists" for a six-month mission, the objective of which is to stop the financial collapse in Lebanon.
The press seems to doubt this Friday the rapid formation of the government.
Publicity
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With our correspondent in Beirut,
Laure Stephan
Regardless of their affiliation, many headlines predict great bargaining.
Al-Akhbar, a
left-wing daily close to Hezbollah, does not mince his words: Saad Hariri says he wants to get the country out of collapse "
when he is one of the causes
".
For this newspaper, the formation of the government will not be easy, and its headline: "
Putsch or agreement?
"
Al-Akhbar
believes that Saad Hariri has two options: either he will seek to marginalize his opponents, at the risk of having to throw in the towel;
or he will seek an agreement with the various blocs.
Contrary to the political spectrum, the newspaper
Nidaa el-Watan
considers for its part that the negotiations will reveal to what extent France is "
again involved
" in the Lebanese political swamp.
One of the political analysts to whom the
Daily Star
gives the floor is convinced that there will be no government in Lebanon before the American elections in early November.
"
As if fate was laughing at the Lebanese
"
Moreover, the press underlines the timing of Saad Hariri's return: "
Exactly one year after he was forced to resign
", writes the
Daily Star,
in reference to the
wave of protest in October 2019
against the political class.
For
Nidaa el-Watan,
it is "
as if fate was mocking the Lebanese
".
The French-language newspaper
L'Orient Le Jour
judges that its designation has “
a terrible air of déjà vu
”.
The media still report the adoption of new sanctions by Washington against two senior Hezbollah officials.
These measures are part of the strategy of "maximum pressure" of the United States against the pro-Iranian axis.
It is impossible to separate what is happening in Lebanon from the great game of regional and international politics.
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To read also: Lebanon: "We can expect a trench warfare between the president and Hariri"
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Lebanon
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