Speakership Awaits Guarantees, Government Formation Stuck in Conditions
With opposition”s main leaders holding on to their stances, formation of a national unity government apparently needs more time due to lack of consensus.
The daily An Nahar, citing sources concerned with preliminary consultations, said parliament is unlikely to hold a meeting within the 15-day constitutional period granted for the election of a speaker.
The sources said circumstances of consultations "may require the exhaustion of the deadline until its last days due to two basic factors."
The first aspect, according to the sources, awaits a clear-cut decision by the majority March 14 forces with regards to re-electing Nabih Berri for a fifth term as parliament speaker given that some parties, mainly the Phalange and the Lebanese Forces, intend to object the move.
An Nahar said March 14 leaders are expected to meet next week to settle this issue after MP Saad Hariri returns home from a private visit to Saudi Arabia.
The second factor, is the need to provide an extra opportunity to settle the issue concerning naming Lebanon”s next prime minister, the sources said, adding that Hariri”s nomination for the post was not yet final.
An Nahar said these issues should be settled within the next two weeks because after a speaker has been elected, it is mandatory for president to consult with the various parliamentary blocs and name a prime minister.
As Safir newspaper, for its part, quoted an MP from the parliamentary majority as saying that there "are serious contradictions among the majority camp regarding a stance from Berri”s re-election."
The MP pointed to some Christian parties within the March 14 coalition who "strongly reject Berri”s re-election unless it was accompanied by specific conditions."
The daily Al Akhbar, meanwhile, quoted an MP close to the president as saying that Michel Suleiman”s focus at this point was choosing cabinet ministers for the new government after he realized Interior Minister Ziad Baroud”s growing popularity.
He said Suleiman intends to "leave his Maronite quota in the hands of Ziad Baroud" who is expected to retain his job as interior minister.