16 visits in the last 6 months were not enough for Aoun and Hariri to agree on a government formation. Hariri insists on forming a non-partisan government, while Aoun insists Hariri’s proposal does not meet the minimum requirements of national balance and respect for the National Pact.
In reality, neither Aoun nor Hariri are that keen on forming a government and don’t mind keeping the status-quo. For them, they have nothing to win and a lot to lose if they offer compromises, knowing that the country is in dire need of a competent government to get us out of this mess, but that’s not really a priority for them, or for any party for that sake. Even more, no party wants to face the upcoming challenges and still thinks that our problems will solve themselves.
So what’s happening?
– Aoun allegedly insists on the “blocking third” and wants the number of ministers raised to 20. A perfect excuse to waste time and weaken Hariri’s position.
– Bassil (Tayyar) wants to get back in the picture, and is playing the financial audit card, which is a big farce.
– Hariri wants a government of 18 ministers and according to some reports wants to name certain Christian ministers, something Aoun doesn’t approve of. He’s also not keep on the financial audit and wouldn’t mind wasting a whole year till the law passed on banking secrecy expires.
– Berri (Amal) wants the finance ministry for his team, knowing that his all-time favorite finance minister has been sanctioned recently by the US. He’s also not a big fan of Aoun or Bassil.
– Jumblatt (PSP) couldn’t care less if a government is formed or not. He’s not on good terms with Aoun’s team and Hariri, and he’d rather watch from a distance.
– Geagea (LF) is planning the next phase hoping to gain more seats in the upcoming elections, but little does he know we might not have a country by then. He wants Aoun to resign yet his party is the one that got him to power.
– Hezbollah is more than happy the way things are as he thrives in chaos, and wants to avoid negotiations with the World Bank as long as possible.
– Kataeb & the other parties don’t really have a say in the government formation matter at the moment.
To sum things up, we have a bunch of kids fighting on who gets what and waiting for an adult (Mother Russia or the US of A?) to intervene and tell them what to do. They couldn’t care less if people starve or not since they enjoy chaos, and have their own militias to control the streets and keep their followers busy.
Things are getting worse at a much faster pace, and God knows what’s gonna happen next or what they have planned for us. One thing is for sure: They’re not working on a salvation government because they’re not capable of forming one.