While waiting for the French-Saudi agreement regarding the presidential entitlement, which may also involve the American chef, it seems that progress in the formation file is moving towards positive conclusions regarding the "current Mikati government." Sources familiar with the communications between Baabda and the Grand Serail revealed to "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency that the government is expected to be established next week, according to what President Najib Mikati said during his recent visit to Baabda. They noted that the continuous warnings from President Michel Aoun about not handing over a government devoid of legitimacy have had an effect, alongside Hezbollah's pressures on Mikati and his momentum regarding the President.
They pointed out that communications are ongoing even though Mikati is out of the country, summarizing what has been agreed upon as follows: appointing a new minister for displaced persons to replace Minister Issam Sharafeddine, ensuring that the new appointee is not a provocative figure to the Progressive Socialist Party leader, former MP Walid Jumblatt, even if the nomination comes from the President.
It is also known that former MP Yassine Jaber will replace the current Minister of Finance, Youssef Khalil, based on the desire of President Nabih Berri. The sources stated that a long meeting was held between Mikati and Minister of Economy Amin Salam four days ago, which resulted in positive outcomes, indicating that Mikati seems no longer insistent on replacing Salam. They added that if the option to replace Salam arises, Mikati would name a replacement in exchange for allowing the President to nominate a replacement for Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al-Shami, considering that the National Party is no longer represented in the parliament.
When asked why there was a delay in pushing towards the formation, the sources replied that no team has the luxury of wasting time. They said: it seems that the government will be formed by mid-next week, requiring about 15 days to prepare the ministerial statement and gain the confidence of the Parliament. Thus, we would have entered the last two weeks of the term, at which point an effective government could perform the duties of the President in the event of a vacuum.
In response to a question, the sources denied the possibility of reintroducing the issue of adding six ministers, which Mikati had categorically rejected, to avoid creating a blocking third that could paralyze the government at any moment.
