Lebanon speaker calls for quick formation of government

By Wassim Saif al-Din

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri has reiterated his calls for the speedy formation of the country’s next government -- a process that has faced repeated delays since May legislative polls.

“Formation of the incoming government is a critical issue,” Berri asserted in a Wednesday statement.

“But harmony within the incoming government is an even more critical issue,” he added.

Following May parliamentary polls, President Michel Aoun tasked Saad Hariri -- who currently serves as prime minister-designate -- with drawing up a new cabinet lineup.

The process, however, has faced repeated delays amid mutual recriminations between the country’s main political forces and demands by some parties for greater representation.

According to Lebanon’s constitution, the prime minister-designate does not have a deadline for drawing up a new government.

Under the 1989 Taif Accord (which ended Lebanon’s 15-year civil war), government posts are shared between the country’s main ethno-religious groupings, with six cabinet portfolios reserved for Sunni Muslims, six for Shia Muslims, and three for Druze.