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Lebanese government expected to announce cabinet

05/07/2008

The Lebanese government is expected to announce the formation of a cabinet after complex negotiations, according to reports.

An agreement negotiated by Qatar in May led to rival factions in the Middle Eastern country finally agreeing on a candidate to be elected as president.

Former head of the army Michel Suleiman was confirmed as the consensus candidate for the country's president, ending a longstanding dispute between the US backed party of incumbent prime minister Fouad Siniora and the anti-Israel Hizbollah party.

According to the Reuters news agency, both sides are now close to announcing the names of those included in the 30-minister cabinet. Under the deal, opposition party Hizbollah, seen by the west as a terrorist organisation, will have enough ministers to block government decisions.

Under the reported arrangement, prime minister Fouad Siniora will have two ministers from the Hizbollah party and a further nine from its allies. The ruling party will have 16 elected representatives in the cabinet while the remaining three will be appointed by the president, according to Reuters.

Lebanon has a complex political system which is based on sectarian lines. The country's president must always be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of the parliament a Shia Muslim.