Attention is turning to the upcoming mandatory parliamentary consultations, which President Michel Aoun will determine to assign someone to form a government between the parliamentary and presidential elections. The General Secretariat of the Parliament has submitted a list of deputies to the presidency, categorized by parliamentary blocs and independents (the names of the "change" deputies were sent separately due to their lack of unity in a bloc). Informed sources have suggested that Aoun is likely to call for these consultations after the elections of parliamentary committees.
Al-Akhbar learned that the President is contemplating holding side meetings with political forces before issuing the call, to gauge their opinions and attempt to reconcile views, leading to a preliminary consensus that eases the appointment process. This is based on past appointments that often concluded with an open timeline for the designate, consuming a great deal of time before formation, especially given the country is undergoing a transitional phase of utmost precision and danger.
In this context, several data points have emerged:
First, there is a push to maintain Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government as it is or to revive it through a decree, arguing that there is no need to form a government that will last no more than a few months, as the process of forming it may exhaust the remaining term of the presidency over the distribution of portfolios—a scenario that Mikati himself supports.
Second, there is the possibility of reassigning Mikati to form a new government, a move supported by the French without facing a Saudi veto, tasked with managing the country until the presidential elections. This option is not opposed by Hezbollah and Amal Movement. However, appointing Mikati remains contentious between the duo and the Free Patriotic Movement. The President and Deputy Gebran Bassil have returned to proposing previous names, including Jawad Adra and Salah Nasrallah, an economic and financial expert who had a long tenure at the International Monetary Fund. In this context, Al-Akhbar learned that Nasrallah met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and the visit was coordinated by Bassil.
On the side of the "change" deputies and opposition forces, the situation is no less ambiguous. Following the declaration of the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, that he will not participate in a government that includes Hezbollah, it seems the latter is currently incapable of fully aligning the "change" deputies under its wing, amidst disagreements among them about whether to collaborate with the Lebanese Forces or reject political alignments, with some calling for cooperation with all parties "on an ad-hoc basis" on each specific issue. This division threatens their cohesion, particularly since they have failed to unite in a single bloc for the consultations.
Regarding the position of the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, informed sources highlighted that "Jumblatt will not squander the electoral victory and will participate in the new government with two ministers, contrary to what Geagea is propagating to Arab and foreign officials that all opposition forces will stand with him." They added that Jumblatt "will continue the path of understanding he began in Parliament, and in this regard, his bloc has requested the presidency of the parliamentary committees for health and sports."
