BEIRUT, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said Tuesday that the new government will be formed very soon, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
"I know that the government formation has taken a very long time but we are very close to forming it," said Hariri at the closing ceremony of the Summer of Innovation, an event aimed at promoting new ideas in technology, entrepreneurship and creativity.
Meanwhile, a source told the independent online newspaper Elnashra on Tuesday that the government is expected to be formed before the end of this week.
"The general atmosphere is very positive. We have reached a consensus with regard to the distribution of cabinet shares and we are still trying to reach an agreement regarding the ministries of education, justice and public works," the unnamed source was quoted as saying.
Hariri has been trying to form a government for more than five months since the May elections.
He faces hurdles in his attempt to form a 30-member national unity government due to the rifts among rival political factions over the representation of the main Christian parties, as well as the Druze sect.
