Aoun and Mikati meet in Baabda

BEIRUT — Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Wednesday afternoon held talks with President Michel Aoun in Baabda, according to a tweet published on the Presidency’s Twitter account.

Here’s what we know:

    • During recent weeks, the Free Patriotic Movement’s leader and Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil and Mikati have accused each other of obstructing the formation of a new government, despite several meetings taking place between Mikati and Aoun.

    • On Tuesday, Mikati reaffirmed his desire to bring a new cabinet to fruition and denied accusations from the Aounist camp that he was blocking the path to its formation. “If I did not want to form a government, I would not have presented a ministerial list the day after the binding parliamentary consultations,” he said, in reference to a cabinet lineup submitted to Aoun in May.

    • The constitutional deadline to elect a successor to Aoun opens on Thursday and ends with the expiration of Aoun’s term in office on Oct. 31.