The Free Patriotic Movement is intensifying its calls as it tries to find a PM candidate who fits President Michel Aoun’s conditions, and who, at the same time, can gain enough support from the MPs in order to compete with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, media reports said.
Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Thursday that Aoun is imposing certain conditions on the PM-designate. It said it had learned from sources that Aoun is demanding that the next PM dismiss the Central Bank governor, include the administrative appointments on the new Cabinet agenda and recover the money transferred after the October 17 uprising by approving a forensic audit.
The daily said that, according to sources, Aoun has been delaying the binding parliamentary consultations in order to give time to FPM chief Jebran Bassil to find a a PM-designate other than Mikati.
It reportedly quoted Mikati as saying that he will not accept any conditions, and that the only way to save Lebanon is by approving a recovery plan, starting reforms and rehabilitating the energy sector in order to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
Meanwhile, Bassil has failed to convince his allies with a name for the PM post, the daily said, as the Shiite Duo leans towards re-assigning Mikati.