BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Wednesday spoke out against a group of independent Sunni MPs who have insisted on being represented in the government, after their demand Tuesday caused a last-minute hurdle in the Cabinet formation process.
Speaking about the MPs, who are outside Premier-designate Saad Hariri’s Future Movement, Aoun implied that they did not have a right to representation.
“I won’t tell them the answer. They’re individuals; they’re not a bloc. They recently got together. [Asking] to be represented when each of them has a [different] political direction? What would come out of it?” Aoun said during a televised interview to mark the second anniversary since his election.
Aoun said that the government formation takes time to accomplish because of Lebanon’s diverse and democratic nature.
“We are a democratic country, more diverse than we should be. Some are trying to get more than their share – let’s say the truth as is. This is where the problem occurs,” he said, adding that the criteria for shares had been decided on previously but that some parties were trying to get a bigger share than they had been allotted.
“If everyone saw their share as enough, problems wouldn’t have arisen. We gave parties more than enough so they can enter government and be comfortable.”
“But Hariri, as premier[-designate], must remain strong.”