By Paul Astih – english.aawsat.com

Beirut- Lebanon has been lately witnessing the rise of new political
alignments amid ongoing consultations on the formation of Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s government. Now that the March 8 and 14 alliances have become from the past, the
new stage following the election of President Michel Aoun last month
paved way for formation of new coalitions.

The parliament was divided between those in favor of Aoun and those
rejecting his election, mainly Speaker Nabih Berri, Marada Movement
chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, the Kataeb Party that is led by lawmaker
Sami Gemayel and several independent MPs. Informed sources said that there is now an alliance whose 44 members
either voted against Aoun or cast white votes. This coalition should
have a balanced role in the consultations carried out by Hariri to form
his cabinet.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that “minor obstacles are preventing
the formation of the government but resolving them is necessary to pave
way for the new lineup.” The sources suggested forming a government that is quite similar to
that of Prime Minister Tammam Salam to facilitate the announcement of
the lineup.

A Free Patriotic Movement official, who refused to be identified,
told Asharq Al-Awsat that all efforts were being exerted to form the
cabinet before the Nov. 22 Independence Day.

The main obstacle lies in the demand to give the Marada Movement a
balanced portfolio to put pressure on the share of the LF, said the
official.

The LF has been demanding a so-called sovereign portfolio due to the role it played in bringing Aoun to the presidency.

“Franjieh is insisting on having the public works, energy or the
telecommunications ministries … which is making the distribution of
portfolios difficult,” said the official.