Lebanon to start government formation talks as protests persist

Consultations to form a new government in Lebanon will formally begin on Monday, the presidency has announced, more than a month after a wave of protests led the prime minister, Saad Hariri, to resign.
"The presidency has set Monday as the date for the parliamentary consultations" for the designation of a new prime minister, the presidency announced in a short statement on social media on Wednesday.
Despite continued pressure from a nationwide protest movement to radically overhaul the political system, President Michel Aoun had so far stopped short of announcing formal talks to agree on a new lineup.
He and several key partners in the fractious outgoing governing coalition had apparently insisted on reaching a deal before announcing the start of formal talks with Lebanon's parliamentary blocs.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Sidon is south Lebanon.

- Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
- Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
- Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

#AlJazeeraEnglish #Lebanon