Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri concluded the second and final day of non-binding consultations with lawmakers on Saturday to form a new cabinet.

He first met with the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. After the meeting leader of the SSNP said: “The government's priority must go to the social and economic issues and to meet the needs of the citizens to encourage them to stay in their country. Reform begins with stipulating an election law that does justice to the Lebanese.

Speaker Nabih Berri has warned PM-designate Saad Hariri that the Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea plans to keep the Kataeb party and Marada Movement out of the new government formula, al-Akhbar daily reported on Saturday.

The daily said that Geagea is trying to limit the Christian representation in the new cabinet to his LF ministers.

Among the ongoing consultations to form a new government after the designation of PM Saad Hariri, there is a tendency to form an all-inclusive 30-minister government instead of the usual 24, to pave way for the representation of all political parties, An Nahar daily reported on Saturday.

Sources following up closely on the consultations said there is “semi-final trend to form a government of thirty ministers to include a broader political participation,” which will be formed under the banner of “consensus and national unity.”

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri began on Friday consultations with the parliamentarians, which will continue over a two-day period, to form the new cabinet after being nominated to the post by 112 out of 126 members of parliament.

Hariri kicked off the consultations with a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri at the parliament. He later held talks with caretaker Premier Tammam Salam, who said following the meeting that the “atmosphere in the country is positive and things are going in the right direction. We will have a government soon.”

Hizbullah believes that an alliance with the AMAL Movement and the unity of the Shiites ranks is more valuable than anything else, even power, As Safir daily reported on Friday.

A source close to Hizbullah told the daily that a “coalition with AMAL and the unity of the Shiites is more important than anything else, even more important than power and its gains.”

With the formation of Lebanon's new government arises the differences between political parties over the distribution of governmental portfolios.

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.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri was named as Lebanon's new prime minister on Thursday, the office of President Michel Aoun announced.

“After the necessary parliamentary consultations... the president has entrusted Saad Hariri with the formation of a government,” said a statement read by the president's chief of staff Antoine Chouqair.

Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc did not name ex-PM Saad Hariri for the premiership, while head of the Development and Liberation bloc Speaker Nabih Berri said it is time to “pay back the debt” to Hariri as his bloc named him prime minister during the binding parliamentary consultations on Thursday with newly elected President General Michel Aoun.

Speaking on behalf of the bloc, MP Mohammed Raad said: “We did not name anyone for the post of prime minister.”

Speaker Nabih Berri is expected to “return the favor” and announce his support for al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri for the post of premiership, after some positive signals that Hariri had received in that regard.