The U.S.-backed anti-Syrian "March 14" coalition led by Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri won the parliamentary vote on June 7. He has since said he was keen to form a "government of national unity" that will include the opposition, led by the powerful Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

Here's a look at why the process is taking such a long time.

WHAT HAS BEEN AGREED SO FAR?

The rival alliances agreed in July on the shape of the next government, including the division of 30 cabinet seats; a delicate task that incorporates Lebanon's principle of sectarian power-sharing. Essentially, Sunni Hariri's Saudi-backed "March 14" alliance gets 15 seats and Shi'ite Hezbollah and its allies in the "March 8" coalition are allotted 10 seats.

President Michel Suleiman would be given a decisive say in government by being allowed to nominate five ministers.

SO WHAT'S THE HOLD-UP INTERNALLY?

Hezbollah ally and Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun is adamant about retaining the telecommunications portfolio and its current minister, his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil.

But Hariri and others in March 14 have strong objections to Bassil heading the ministry because he lost in the election.

Hariri is also keen to gain the portfolio for his coalition in order to oversee a long-stalled plan to privatise the telecoms sector. The sale of two state-owned mobile firms is expected to garner as much as $7 billion and will go some way towards chopping Lebanon's crippling $48 billion public debt.

Aoun, who has been allotted five seats in the next cabinet, is also insisting on getting one of the key ministerial posts. He has wants the interior ministry which is to be decided by President Suleiman. But Hariri deeply opposes Aoun's demand.

Adding to the confusion, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, once a pillar of the "March 14" coalition, last month distanced himself from the alliance, creating a huge rupture in the country's political map and undermining March 14's victory in the polls.

WHAT ABOUT EXTERNAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE STALLING?

These are slightly more opaque but there are a few possible explanations.

Immediately after the election, several rounds of talks were held between regional rivals, Saudi Arabia and Syria, who back the opposing Lebanese coalitions, to come to an agreement over the government's make-up.

The talks highlighted the two states' influence over the March 14 and March 8 groups, whose leaders have historically allied with competing regional and international powers.

At first, the talks were credited with quickly reaching the "15-10-5" cabinet seat-sharing formula and forcing Hezbollah to drop its demand for veto power in government.

There was an understanding that Saudi King Abdullah would visit Syrian President Bashar al-Assad once a new Lebanese government was sworn in to seal the rapprochement. There was also even talk of Hariri visiting Syria, which the billionaire politician has accused of assassinating his father Rafik al-Hariri in 2005. The Sunni leader, who was raised in Saudi Arabia, is Riyadh's closest ally in Lebanon.

However, the talks abruptly stopped in July.

It may be because Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia was upset with U.S. overtures towards Syria, which saw Washington announce that it will return an ambassador to Damascus for the first time since Rafik's killing. This could raise Saudi fears that the re-emergence of Syria will be another victory for its ally, Shi'ite Iran, and by extension, Hezbollah. Strong Shi'ite influence in the region is anathema to Saudi Arabia.

Another possible explanation puts the blame on Syria which may be dissatisfied with what it sees as the slow pace of U.S. rapprochement and its rehabilitation in the international arena. Sources say Syrian-U.S. talks focused on security in Iraq were not positive. The United States has long accused Syria of allowing insurgents to cross into Iraq from the long, porous border. Syria rejects accusations it is meddling in Iraq.

Regional experts say Syria, and by extension Hezbollah, may therefore be using Aoun and his various objections to the government's make-up as a delaying tactic.

WITH ALL THESE COMPLICATIONS, IS THERE AN END IN SIGHT?

The big date to watch is the United Nations General Assembly meeting which starts on Sept. 23. President Suleiman said he wants to head a delegation that includes Hariri as prime minister when he heads to New York.

Hariri also wants to attend the opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology near Jeddah immediately after the General Assembly as PM.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF MORE DELAY?

Some fear a prolonged standoff on the government formation could revive sectarian tensions which have frequently sparked street violence in the past, scaring away investors and crippling the vital tourism sector.

The current cabinet is now only in caretaker mould so it cannot take any decisions, economic, financial or political. So for now everything is on hold from tackling privatisation to power outages and other pressing social issues.

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