Stalemate Continues... Division Worsens After Aoun's Messages!

The situation in the country remains as it is, with ongoing political and administrative clashes. While the cycle of strikes in the public sector is closed, there has been no new development regarding the formation of the government. It seems that the two concerned parties, President Michel Aoun and the designated Prime Minister Najib Mikati, have accepted the reality that matters have reached a deadlock. Nothing has emerged from the trilateral presidential meeting held at Baabda Palace with American mediator Amos Hochstein during the Army Day celebration that suggests a resolution between the first and third presidencies is imminent. The lack of communication and the absence of effective mediation between the two sides lead to the conclusion that no new government will be formed before the end of the term, that the chances of formation are diminishing daily, and that time is running out for everyone with the presidential elections approaching. Former MP Ali Darwish, who is close to Mikati, confirmed to "Al-Markazia" that "the presidential meetings that took place yesterday did not stir the stagnant waters in the governmental swamp; rather, the messages and arrows directed by President Aoun in his speech during the Army Day celebration in the Fiyadiyeh only further widened the existing divide over government formation. This indicates that nothing suggests any positive developments regarding this stalled file, which we hope does not adversely affect the presidential elections, which rely on both internal and external support, especially from brothers and friends, to form the cornerstone for Lebanon’s rise from its multifaceted political, financial, and living crises." In response to a question, he added, "The collective scene of the presidents in the meeting with the American mediator Hochstein on one side and the Army Day celebration on the other affirmed that all other matters remain secondary to the unity of Lebanon and its people, and that the nation can only thrive through cooperation between its authorities and citizens, regardless of obstacles and difficulties." He concluded by praising the role of the Lebanese Army in preserving the homeland and its unity, considering the military institution the last guarantee and hope remaining for the country.