BEIRUT: It may take Lebanese parties more time to form a coalition government, prime minister designate Saad Al-Hariri said on Tuesday more than three months after the general election.
鈥淧erhaps we need more time to arrive at a final formula,鈥� he said to reporters before a meeting of members of parliament from his party in Beirut.
Lebanese politicians have repeatedly warned that the country 鈥� which has one of the world鈥檚 highest rates of public debt 鈥� urgently needs to put a government in place, but they have jostled over cabinet positions.
鈥淭here is no doubt that some sides still stick to their terms, but, as we see, all of them retreat and concede a little,鈥� he said, adding that the new government needed to include all sides.
The May 6 elections delivered a majority for the Shiite Hezbollah and its parliamentary allies, a reversal of the previous vote in 2009, when groups with Western and Saudi support won most seats.
The result has further complicated Lebanon鈥檚 tangled sectarian politics, as Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Christians and Druze compete among themselves for ministries.
The delay in forming the government has prompted recriminations between rival parties.
Last week, Hezbollah members of parliament warned that the delay risked Lebanon 鈥渟liding toward tensions.鈥�
鈥淲e are a state that has problems, and we must form a national unity government in which there is cooperation between all the parties. Otherwise we will create a problem in the cabinet,鈥� Hariri said.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that Lebanon needs 鈥渁n immediate and substantial fiscal adjustment鈥� to make its public debt 鈥� which measures about 150 percent of gross domestic product 鈥� sustainable.