Seventy-three days after he was designated prime minister, Saad Hariri submitted to President Michel Suleiman a government line-up based on the formula that was reached in agreement with the opposition. The 5-10-15 formula calls for the formation of ‘national unity’ consisting of 30 Ministers, of whom five are to be nominated by the President (including a pro-opposition minister), ten by the opposition and 15 by the parliamentary majority.

However, the fact that Hariri proposed the line-up. Along with the names of minority ministers and portfolios. Without prior consultations with the opposition created a problem that could eventually prompt the prime minister-designate to step down if Suleiman rejects the proposal. The line-up could also form a first step toward an agreement on a new distribution of portfolios and new nominations. Furthermore, Suleiman could be pushed to sign the government decree, thus placing him on the majority’s side of the fence. However, until the Lebanese see the plumes of white smoke announcing the birth of a government, they will continue to be preoccupied with many questions that have no immediate answers.

The headlines of Lebanese newspapers on the morning of September 8th presented opposing views regarding the most recent development in the government formation crisis.

As Safir: Stepping Down

As Safir newspaper described the government as having been ‘imposed’ foreseeing its eventual collapse. It wrote that Hariri was moving closer toward stepping down after he threw the government formation “fire ball” into the hands of the president, whose position seems to be “puzzled”. The daily went as far as asking: “what will happen if the president doesn’t sign? Sources close to the prime minister-designate replied saying he would step down. The ensuing steps would be to hold new obligatory parliamentary deliberations and to once more designate Hariri to the premiership. The sources refused to discuss the fate of the current formula or whether or not a new formula would be outlined”.

Al Mustaqbal: “Hariri’s right; the breaking of the circle of blackmail and Syrian intimidation”

Al Mustaqbal daily considered that Hariri merely exercised his constitutional right and consequently broke the “circle of blackmail” by submitting a government line-up that included the main parliamentary blocs, observed the political balance and respected the outcome of the parliamentary elections. However, the newspaper also referred to the Syrian Al Watan daily which quoted an opposition leader, as “expressing fears of the return of the security file to the forefront. He said it was possible for those who are being harmed (by the current developments) to use the political vacuum to meddle with national security via the activities of a fundamentalist group”. Al Mustaqbal described the Al Watan report as part of an “old/new Syrian campaign against PM-designate Hariri”.

Al Akhbar: “Suleiman Refuses To Sign”

Al Akhbar newspaper gave top priority to the opposition’s rejection of Hariri’s line-up and appeared certain that Suleiman would not sign the government’s decree. The paper wrote that “the prime minister-designate’s decision is perplexing since he ignored the opposition”. It quoted visitors to Baabda Palace as saying Suleiman “refuses to sign a decree for a government that does not enjoy the consensus of all the Lebanese forces”.

An Nahar: An Attractive Government

An Nahar newspaper highlighted the cabinet formula and the distribution of portfolios but also referred to the opposition and President Suleiman’s rejection of Hariri’s line-up. It also focused on Hariri’s adherence to the existing 5-10-15 formula and adopted a positive tone to describe the government in terms of portfolio rotation and the appointment of female ministers. On Hariri’s move, it wrote: “he was exercising his constitutional right. The president also has a right and so does the opposition”.