Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat held talks Monday in Ain el-Tineh with Speaker Nabih Berri during which he proposed new "ideas" regarding the electoral law.

Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that he will not endorse any electoral law that “does not enjoy consensus.”

Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday warned against “procrastination” in finalizing the new electoral law, stressing that “proportional representation is the most appropriate and essential system for building a modern state in Lebanon.”

Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated on Wednesday the necessity to speed up drafting a new electoral law based on proportional representation.

The formation of a 24-member cabinet is disapproved by the Hizbullah, AMAL and the Progressive Socialist parties because they prefer to have bigger shares in the new cabinet and to include all political parties, An Nahar daily reported Thursday.

AMAL Movement leader Speaker Nabih Berri dispatched his political aid and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil to Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri a day earlier, asking him to widen the cabinet into 30 members in order for the Shiite parties to get five ministerial portfolios instead of four that include the finance, agriculture, economy for the AMAL and the industry and youth and sports for Hizbullah, according to the daily.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday that he is not to blame for the obstacles that have so far delayed lining-up a cabinet and assured that he made enough concessions to facilitate its formation.

“I am not responsible for the obstacles hampering the government formation, I made the necessary concessions to facilitate its line-up,” said Berri during his weekly meeting with MPs.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri held consultations Monday with President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace after which he pledged to maintain good ties with Speaker Nabih Berri.

Speaker Nabih Berri announced Monday that the parties that are obstructing the formation of the new government are “the ones who are violating the Constitution, norms and the rules of forming cabinets, not those who are warning against that.”

Speaker Nabih Berri and President Michel Aoun traded indirect criticisms on Thursday where each held the other responsible for weakening the state institutions.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea responded Monday to Speaker Nabih Berri's complaints that he is allegedly inciting some political parties to shift to the opposition with regard to the government formation.

“My dear friend Speaker Nabih Berri. I very much value your concern (for the Lebanese Forces) these days namely that you have saved no opportunity to mention us but... some love kills,” said Geagea sarcastically via twitter, using a well-known expression from Arabic literature.