It seems that the general lockdown due to COVID-19 has also closed the door on any communication or efforts to address the stalled government formation.
Following the recent dispute between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Future Movement, obstacles to the formation attempts have increased. Amid the lockdown, President Michel Aoun in Baabda is focusing on other issues, while the assigned Prime Minister Saad Hariri is in Abu Dhabi. Sources for Al-Joumhouria indicated that there are multiple efforts to persuade Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri to step in as a mediator. These efforts are taking place in the political background to ensure their success and protect those involved. However, any move signaling the start of the mediation is awaiting Saad Hariri's return, a date that neither his circle nor any other source could specify. The idea of mediation had previously been proposed to resolve the disagreement, with General Security Director Major General Abbas Ibrahim taking charge, supported specifically by the Shiite duo. However, this idea has lost its enthusiasm in light of indications that Aoun and Hariri have each made their choice and eliminated any possibility of coexistence between them under one governmental framework.
