Lebanon to Get New Govt. 'This Evening', Marada Given 2 Seats, SSNP Excluded

The new cabinet will be formed Tuesday evening and Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab will shortly head to the Baabda Palace after which the government's line-up will be announced, TV networks reported, quoting Baabda sources.

Speaker Nabih Berri is also preparing to head to the Baabda Palace, media reports said.

Caretaker Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil had earlier confirmed that the new government would be formed "within hours."

"Speaker (Nabih) Berri exerted utmost efforts to facilitate its formation and has been in contact with everyone throughout the day," Khalil, who is also Berri's political aide, tweeted.

"The Marada (Movement) will be part of it and Hizbullah has not given up its positive role at all," Khalil added.

Media reports meanwhile said that the new government will comprise 20 ministers.

The Marada Movement will get the public works and labor portfolios while the Syrian Social Nationalist Party has opted to stay out of the government after it rejected to be allotted a Druze seat, al-Jadeed TV quoted unnamed sources as saying.

“The Free Patriotic Movement’s share has remained at six seats while the Druze community will get two portfolios: social affairs, which will be combined with the internally displaced people’s portfolio, and sport and youth,” the sources added.

Demianos Qattar will meanwhile get the administrative development or environment portfolio after labor went to Marada.

LBCI TV meanwhile said that Marada has named Michel Najjar for the labor portfolio as MTV said that Amal Najjar will be replaced by Petra Khoury for the deputy PM post.

TV networks mweanwhile said that Berri held a "positive" meeting with FPM chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday afternoon.