Lebanese premier looking to form govt before anniversary of Beirut blast

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati said he hoped a new government is formed before this Wednesday, the first anniversary of the devastating Beirut port blast.

"I was hoping that we would celebrate the formation of the government before Aug. 4, the day of the great catastrophe that occurred in Lebanon and affected all the Lebanese," Mikati said Monday after meeting with President Michel Aoun at the Presidential Palace in the capital Beirut to discuss forming a new government.

Lebanon this week is poised to mark the grim anniversary of the blast, which left at least 200 people dead and thousands injured besides massive material damage.

The people are tired of talking about quotas to form a government, said Mikati, stressing that time is running out.

"The deadline for forming a government for me is not open-ended, and I agreed with the president to meet again on Thursday," he said, voicing his disappointment in a "slowed" pace of forming a new government.

"The country wants to be saved," he said.

On June 26, Mikati received support from 72 out of 128 parliamentarians, including the backing of the Future Current movement headed by Saad Hariri and support from Hizbollah parliamentarians to head and form a long-awaited government.

Mikati is an MP representing the northern city of Tripoli who previously headed two governments, in 2005 and 2011.

Earlier this month, Hariri stepped down after failing to reach an agreement with Aoun on forming a new government.

Lebanon has been unable to form a new administration since the resignation of Hassan Diab's cabinet on Aug. 10, 2020, six days after the Beirut blast.

The Arab country is facing a severe economic crisis, with the local currency losing nearly all of its value against the dollar, with streets witnessing massive protests and rallies.