There was no agreement on a new Lebanese cabinet after a scheduled meeting on Monday between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri. Hariri said afterwards that Aoun had insisted on a blocking majority in government for his political allies. Aoun sent a list suggesting different scenarios for a cabinet of either 18,20 or 22 ministers, with names to be filled in, Hariri said. "This is unacceptable because it is not the job of the prime minister-designate to fill forms from someone else or of the president to form a government." Moreover, Hariri said that the president had the PM’s lineup for a hundred days now, saying the ball was in Aoun’s court. Hariri then revealed the entire lineup to the media. The lack of agreement came after a hint of positivity on Thursday when the two last met and Hariri had said the priority was to form a government that would restart talks with the International Monetary Fund. Lebanon is in the grips of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. More than half of the population lives below the poverty line, while the Lebanese pound has lost more than 85 percent of its value against the dollar in the black market. Politicians have since late 2019 failed to agree a rescue plan to unlock foreign cash which Lebanon desperately needs. The Lebanese pound, pegged at 1,507 to the greenback since 1997, sold for 15,000 to the dollar on the black market last week at an all-time low. The rapid currency plunge reignited street protests which started in 2019, but were temporarily snuffed last year by the coronavirus pandemic. The international community has denounced the performance of Lebanese officials. "Lebanese authorities should act urgently to halt the deepening crisis and ensure good governance," UN humanitarian coordinator Najat Rochdi told the Security Council last week. French president Emmanuel Macron, who is leading the international charge against Lebanons under-fire politicians, said last week that he would push for a new approach to "prevent the collapse of the country". The European Union and the United States should also ramp up pressure on Lebanese politicians, said a French diplomatic source, who did not rule out the possibility of sanctions.