Hariri refuses to form a new government

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Tuesday he did not want to form a new government.

Hariri said in a statement that he adheres to the rule "not me but anyone else, to form a government that simulates the aspirations of young men and women and the distinctive presence of Lebanese women."

He expressed his hope that President Michel Aoun will initiate a call for "binding parliamentary consultations to appoint a new president to form a new government," wishing those who would be chosen well in his mission.

Hariri criticized unnamed parties "that they are still arguing against public opinion that they are waiting for a decision from (reluctant Saad Hariri) to hold me falsely and falsely responsible for delaying the formation of the new government."

Aoun, in a November 12 television interview, called Hariri "hesitant."

Days later, the Free Patriotic Movement, headed by Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil, accused Aoun's brother in a statement of Hariri of pursuing "a policy (me and no one else) in the government, as evidenced by his insistence that he should head the government of specialists."

Under the constitution, the Lebanese president must, after the resignation of the government, set a date for binding consultations with parliamentary blocs to name a president charged with forming a new government.

However, in a country based on sectarian quotas, the name of the prime minister is often agreed upon prior to formal consultations.

There have been protests in Lebanon for five weeks, fueled by anger over the spread of corruption among politicians, and the demonstrators want to remove the entire ruling class from power.

Despite unprecedented nationwide protests that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on October 29 and the deteriorating economic situation, politicians deeply divided over the formation of a new government have not agreed.