Hezbollah Leader:

Cabinet Formation Ongoing, Obstacles Remain

Date: 19 October 2018 - 21:12

News ID: ۵۸۶۵۸

BEIRUT (Dispatches) – Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that a progress regarding the cabinet formation in Lebanon is ongoing but a few obstacles still remain, local TV Channel Al Jadeed reported.
"There are still some problems related to the distribution of cabinet shares," said Nasrallah in a televised speech.
He denied allegations by some media outlets about other countries preventing government formation in Lebanon.
Cabinet formation has entered its fifth month of deadlock, with parties' disputing over key ministerial portfolios, particularly over the Druze representation.
However, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced Thursday that he is optimistic that the government will be formed before the end of this week.
Likewise, Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced on Thursday that a new government will be formed very soon, ending over five months of deadlock after the parliamentary elections.
"The government will be [formed] very soon or sooner," Aoun told reporters Thursday, echoing earlier remarks by Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri who recently raised hopes about the formation of the Lebanese government.
"I know that the formation of the government has taken too long, but we will be able to form it, God willing. We are very close to that,” Hariri said during a speech at the Grand Serail in Beirut.
Hariri has been negotiating with Lebanon's rival parties since the parliamentary elections in May to form a new power-sharing cabinet, but they have so far been unable to reach a consensus.