Lebanon's prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri on Tuesday (November 13th) accused Hizbullah of impeding the formation of a long-awaited cabinet after five months of wrangling, AFP reported.
Government formation is often a drawn-out process in Lebanon, where a complex governing system seeks to maintain a precarious balance of power between its various political and religious communities.
"It is very regrettable that Hizbullah has put itself in the position of bearing responsibility for hindering the government," al-Hariri said at a news conference.
"I have done my job and the government is ready" otherwise, he said.
Hizbullah has pushed for allied Sunni politicians who are opposed to al-Hariri to be represented in the future cabinet.
Al-Hariri, a leading Sunni politician, has refused to give up a portfolio that would otherwise go to his own party.
In a televised speech on Saturday, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah said no government would be formed if his Sunni allies were not represented.
On May 24th, after parliamentary elections, President Michel Aoun nominated al-Hariri for his third term as prime minister and tasked him with forming a cabinet. But debates have dragged out the process.
In 2009 it also took al-Hariri five months to form a government, while his successor Tammam Salam took 10 months after he was nominated in 2013.
