Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, said this week that the main internal obstacles to forming a new government, now four months and counting, “are related to not respecting the results of the elections. In a national unity government, you only abide by the elections, and you get the formation right away. So we are afraid that this disrespect of the elections is coming out of what we heard that some foreign countries were not pleased by the results and that this would turn the equilibrium established in Lebanon, which I don't believe it's the case.” 

“In Lebanon, no one can prevail,” added Bassil, who also serves as leader of the Free Patriotic Movement. “No one. No matter how strong you look economically or militarily or in popularity, you cannot rule the country alone. So no one government, no one parliament will be under — take over one party and specifically here I mean Hezbollah, because the situation as such is very wrong.”

“Unfortunately,” Bassil continued, “internal parties [fear] to take the needed decision to move forward with this formation of government because we want to reinstate what was before the elections. Actually, things are not changing drastically in the representation of the political parties. So to be afraid that such a government will be losing the equilibrium — the coming Lebanese government will be reflecting the Lebanese people, which are enough diverse in their political orientations and their, let's say, affiliation, whether internally or externally, and there is no reason to have this fear. … No one can control the country. This is very essential in Lebanon. No one party can do this.”

While President Michel Aoun works to break the deadlock, Prime Minister Saad Hariri appears to be the pivotal holdout. Hariri may be waiting for a call from Riyadh for guidance. There is a chance, however, that such a call is not coming, because Hariri’s longtime regional patron may be preoccupied and see Lebanon as a declining asset.