The Lebanese Prime Minister-designate, Saad Hariri, said that he had presented a cabinet to the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, consisting of 18 ministers, on the basis of specialization and lack of party affiliation.
After his meeting with Aoun at the presidential palace, Hariri said, "God willing, the atmosphere is positive, and President Aoun promised me that he would study the formation, and we will come back and meet."
During a press conference, he added, "There is great hope in forming the government to reconstruct Beirut and restore confidence to the Lebanese through achieving the reforms agreed upon within the French initiative."
After the Beirut port bombed on August 4, French President Emmanuel Macron launched an initiative based on forming a Lebanese government of specialists, to carry out administrative and banking reforms.
Second in a week
It is noteworthy that the meeting today, Wednesday, between Hariri and Aoun is the second this week, as they met on Monday.
On October 22, Aoun assigned Hariri to form a government, after his predecessor, Mustafa Adeeb, apologized for the failure of his mission to form it.
The next government will replace the current caretaker government headed by Hassan Diab, which resigned 6 days after the port explosion.
And if the Hariri government is passed, this will be his fourth time as prime minister.
He took the first in 2009, and the second in 2016, while his third government collapsed in October 2019, under pressure from popular protests, and was succeeded by Hassan Diab.