The formation of the Lebanese government has been obstructed again after hopes were high that it would see the light on Saturday.
The 8 March Alliance held Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil responsible for hindering its formation.
Three knots showed up and are now threatening that the formation would go back to the starting point.
The first obstacle is the representation of the “Consultative Gathering” (six Hezbollah-backed Sunni MPs) in which Bassil insists on presenting Jawad Adra as a member of his ministerial bloc. Subsequently, this pushed the Gathering to back off from naming Adra.
The second drawback shows through Bassil’s attempt to get a Maronite minister from the share of the Lebanese Forces.
The third snag is embodied in Bassil’s endeavor to switch portfolios to get the environment one– this was rejected by Speaker Nabih Berri who considers the environment portfolio of his share.
Sources of the 8 March Alliance consider that Bassil has been leading the government battle since the ‘Druze crisis’ to get 11 ministers from the 30-minister government.
Prominent sources from the Alliance told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that it is unlikely to have a new government before the beginning of 2019.
“The government formation doesn’t loom in the horizon after Bassil obstructed announcing it,” sources revealed.
