Hariri: New Government Will be Formed Soon

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri assured the Lebanese that the government will be formed before the end of the year, as he slammed reports alleging that its formation will be lengthy, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

“God willing the government will be formed soon,” he told the daily, and stressed that the process will not consume a lot of time.

To a question that some say that the government may be delayed until the beginning of the new year, he rushed to say: “No, no, it will not be delayed.”

Hariri's comments met with the assurances of a senior source who told the daily: “If things continue to go well as they are now, the atmospheres surrounding the consultations expect the government to be formed within a two week period at most and before Independence Day (on November 22).”

On Thursday, Hariri was formally tasked with forming a new government after he received a sweeping majority of 116 votes in the binding parliamentary consultations.

Hariri's key support had contributed to the election of Aoun as Lebanon's 13th president on Monday, which ended around two and a half years of presidential and political vacuum.

Aoun also received crucial support from Hizbullah and the Lebanese Forces.

Hariri's nomination and Aoun's election have raised hopes that Lebanon can begin tackling challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political class and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.

In a sign that Hariri's task ahead might not be easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to endorse him for the prime minister post, even though his nomination was all-but-assured.

Hariri is likely to struggle with his government's policy statement, which will have to make reference to Israel, as well as the war in Syria, both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah.

The process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the interior, defense and energy ministries.