The Lebanese presidency said today that it will hold binding consultations with the parliamentary blocs next Monday to name a new prime minister, three weeks after the resignation of Hassan Diab's government following the Beirut port explosion, while an official in the French presidency said today that President Macron will head to Beirut on Monday to pressure Lebanon’s politicians to speed up the formation of A government that can implement urgent reforms.
The agreement to set a date for parliamentary consultations was made after a call between Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The political forces have not yet been able to agree on the next prime minister, although President Aoun is required to name a candidate with the highest support among parliamentarians. The parliamentary blocs of the independent parties and representatives will go to the presidential palace in Beirut to nominate their candidate to form the next government.
The director of the Al-Jazeera office in Beirut, Mazen Ibrahim, said that the determination of Monday did not come out of a vacuum, as it comes prior to Macron's visit to Lebanon, and who said weeks ago that he wanted political change to take place and to accelerate the formation of a new government in Lebanon, and the director of Al-Jazeera office added that there are political forces in Lebanon calls for benefiting from France's efforts to break the siege and stalemate in Lebanon.
Mazen Ibrahim added that limiting the period of binding consultations to four hours from nine in the morning to one after midday is remarkable, as it is a very short period compared to previous experiences, which indicates the desire of the Lebanese authorities to speed up consultations to name a new president to form a government.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri was one of the most prominent names to be nominated to succeed Diab, but he announced Tuesday that he did not want to return to head the government, requesting that his name be withdrawn from deliberation in this regard.
French official: It is time for the parties to temporarily step down and form a government that works for change in Lebanon https://t.co/sJcGaAIVJ7
- LBCI Lebanon News (@LBCI_NEWS) August 28, 2020
The options presented and the
director of Al-Jazeera’s office explained that there are options for the candidate names, some of which are unlikely and the other is likely: The first option is to name the “March 8 Forces” a person close to it with the exclusion of the name of Hariri, which is an unlikely option. As for the second option, which is also excluded, it is to name the forces The political figure of a figure like Hassan Diab is described as a technocrat, and he is unlikely given the experience of the resigned government and its lack of success.
As for the third option, which is likely, it is for Hariri to adopt a figure close to him and who enjoys the support of Hezbollah, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Amal Movement, provided that it has French and international approval that allows the incoming government to have international financial support.
The director of the Al-Jazeera office in Beirut added that the leaders of the Lebanese political forces reached yesterday the vision of President Macron, who wants to form a government of competencies.
The position of prime minister must be assumed by a Sunni under the sectarian quota system in Lebanon, and Hezbollah and the Amal movement allied with it want Hariri to return to prime minister, but Hezbollah's main Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement founded by Michel Aoun, opposes Hariri’s nomination for the post again. In the Lebanese political scene, other groups and prominent figures also oppose Hariri's return to office, such as the Christian Lebanese Forces party and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.
France Presses
In the same context, an official in the French presidency told reporters today that President Macron, who will visit Lebanon on Monday and Tuesday, has already stated that he "will not surrender. He pledged to do everything necessary and to exert the necessary pressure to implement this program." The French official added, "The time has come to put Lebanese political parties aside temporarily and ensure the formation of a government that works for change."
Yesterday, Paris repeated its call for Lebanon to speed up the formation of a government and adopt urgent reforms. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that "the danger today is the disappearance of Lebanon, so these measures must be taken."
It is noteworthy that Lebanon has been experiencing a stifling political and economic crisis a few months ago, exacerbated by the devastating explosion that struck the Beirut port on August 4, leaving 182 dead, more than 6 thousand wounded and dozens missing, in addition to that, causing massive damage with losses estimated at 15 billion Dollars, according to non-final official figures.