Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri expressed cautious optimism about the formation of the government.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting of his Future Movement’s parliamentary bloc on Tuesday, he said: “This week will be decisive, whether positively or negatively, and the situation will become clearer in the coming two days.”
But the premier did not specify what options he will opt for if a government is not formed by the end of this week.
In a separate statement, the Future bloc valued the efforts exerted by Hariri in this regard, saying that he “shouldered his political and constitutional responsibility and did what he has to do to reach a governmental formula that takes into account the requirements of national accord and allows to face the economic, financial and political challenges.”
The statement emphasized however “a series of conditions and stances… that prevented the formation of the government in a timely manner and put the country in the danger of a prolonged vacuum.”
Meanwhile, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) hinted at the possibility of resorting to several options, including street movements, in the event of the failure to form a cabinet.
Following its weekly meeting, the FPM’s Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc expressed hope that the government would see light this week, warning: “If that does not happen with all the work we do, we will have another position next week.”
FPM MP Eddy Maalouf announced on Tuesday that his party might resort to street protests if the ongoing negotiations failed.
His comments were approved by his colleague in the same bloc, MP Mario Aoun, who told Asharq Al-Awsat that the FPM was “open to all possibilities, but did not take any specific decision” in this regard.
In response, sources in the Future Movement asked: “Will they protest against themselves, in their capacity of the head of the ruling power and one of the most important parties involved in the crisis of forming the government?”
In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, sources in the Lebanese Forces (LF) said that holding protests was not currently an option for the party. They noted that the LF parliamentary bloc would convene on Thursday and declare its stance on the current situation.
