Miqati to Confront Demands of Allies as he Faces Difficult Task of Forming One-Sided Cabinet
Following the March 14 alliance’s official decision to become the country’s new opposition, Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati now faces the difficult task of meeting the demands of some members of the March 8 forces that brought him to power.
Miqati’s circles told An Nahar daily in remarks published Monday that the premier-designate will seek to form a mixed technocrat-politicians cabinet.
“Miqati’s next step after (the March 14) decision is to come up with an acceptable cabinet line-up that relieves the public,” informed sources told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
While stressing that Miqati was not under pressure to form the cabinet, the sources expected the government to be formed quickly.
However, the prime minister-designate faces the major hurdle of meeting the demands of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun who is seeking to get the interior ministry portfolio and rejecting to give President Michel Suleiman seats in the one-sided government.
The portfolio was part of Suleiman’s share in Saad Hariri’s national unity cabinet.
March 8 sources told As Safir daily that Miqati will now face the difficult task of pleasing both Aoun and Suleiman. Aoun’s allies are negotiating with Miqati on the MP’s demands after contacts between the premier-designate and the FPM leader came to a standstill.
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