Mikati to hold non-binding consultations on Monday, Tuesday

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati will start the non-binding consultations to form a government on Monday, the Parliament General Secretariat said.

It announced Friday in a statement the schedule of the consultations with the parliamentary blocs that will be held at the parliament on Monday and Tuesday.

Mikati had been designated to form a new government Thursday, more than a month after parliamentary elections that yielded no clear majority.

The 66-year-old billionaire, who had been widely expected to keep his job, secured 54 votes during parliamentary consultations, giving him a clear edge over other potential nominees.

President Michel Aoun subsequently asked him to form a new government, a task analysts fear could take weeks, if not months, despite the economic emergency facing the country.