Lebanon ‘Going to Hell’ If No Government Is Formed, Aoun Warns

(Bloomberg) -- Lebanon’s president warned that the country is “going to hell” if a government isn’t swiftly formed, and suggested abolishing the sectarian quotas that have long tormented cabinet-building as a way out of the crisis.

With political parties insisting on controlling certain ministries, there is “no solution on the horizon to form a new government soon,” President Michel Aoun told reporters at the presidential palace on Monday.

“I suggest today the first step to abolishing the sectarian distribution for ministries,” Aoun said.

Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib had been tapped to put together a cabinet three weeks ago after the previous government resigned following the devastating Aug. 4 explosion at the Port of Beirut. But Adib, backed by former colonial power France, failed to form a new government by the Sept. 15 deadline Paris set.

France, which has been leading international relief efforts for Lebanon, has warned that failure to meet the deadline could risk sanctions.

Negotiations to form a government snagged over the insistence of House Speaker Nabih Berri and his allies in the Iran-backed Hezbollah to appoint the finance minister and other portfolios allocated to Shiites. Lebanon’s sectarian governing system equally distributes government and parliament seats between Muslims and Christians.

Lebanon had been struggling badly even before the Aug. 4 port calamity, with its bickering ruling class unable to take steps to redress an economy in tatters and relieve the plight of a population sinking deeper and deeper into poverty.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.