The latest government formation contacts have managed to resolve a number of obstacles, keeping some of the candidates of the recent draft line-up and re-distribution some portfolios, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Below are the new line-up’s details according to the daily:
– Keeping Dr. Saade al-Shami as deputy PM, as per Miqati’s line-up
– Dropping the name of Marwan Abou Fadel and the return of President Aoun’s nomination of Brig. Gen. Maurice Slim for the defense portfolio
– The interior and justice obstacles have been resolved and retired Tripolitan judge Bassam Mawlawi has emerged as a candidate for the interior portfolio (from Miqati’s list of suggestions)
– State Shura Council judge Rita Ghantous Karam — the wife of Judge Claude Karam and daughter of retired judge Georges Ghantous — has emerged as a candidate for the justice portfolio
– Marada will get the telecom and information portfolios for the two Maronite candidates Johnny al-Korm and Georges Kourdahi
– A Sunni candidate will be allotted the economy portfolio and the social affairs portfolio will be allocated to candidate named by Aoun
– Aoun’s demand of allotting the social affairs portfolio to Raymond Tarabay has been dropped
– The energy portfolio obstacle has been resolved and will be allotted to Dr. Walid Fayyad as per Aoun’s suggestion