Yesterday marked the farewell meeting between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, which did not yield any progress on the government formation file, as the presidential term will conclude next Monday without the last government in place. While Mikati did not provide any statements, when asked whether he still plans to stay overnight at the Baabda Palace until the government is formed, he responded: "They moved everything to Rabieh. There’s no place to sleep." This remark may seem joking in form, but a political reference noted that it carries "political messages."
The reference, speaking to "Akhbar Al-Yawm" agency, indicated that Mikati’s statement suggests that his meeting with the president was tumultuous, thereby hinting at an attempt to transfer power outside the realms of constitutional institutions. In this context, the source questioned the purpose of Aoun's threat to "sign the resignation decree" before leaving the presidential palace and whether it was merely to create another issue in the country, knowing that forming a government without obtaining the parliament's confidence automatically places it in a caretaker status, thus constitutionally no different from the current government. This indicates that the effort to form a government in the final days of the presidential term aims more for personal gains than for managing public affairs during the vacuum.
In response to a question, the source downplayed the likelihood of the ministers affiliated with the term or the Free Patriotic Movement responding to any request to leave their ministerial roles, asserting that these ministers have become closer to Mikati than to any other party, and they also want to improve their image before public opinion since each one of them harbors political ambitions that may extend beyond the current period.
