Lebanese new government was appointed by an official decree on Monday, after almost five months that the former national unity government collapsed in January.

The new government is made up of 30 members and mainly dominated by the March 8 Alliance, headed by Shiite armed group Hezbollah.

The March 8 Alliance were allotted 17 portfolios, two for Hezbollah, two for another Shiite group Amal Movement, six for the Christian Free Patriotic Movement, and other parties winning the remaining portfolios.

But the bloc suffered an immediate blow after the government birth, as the state minister, Druze politician and head of the Lebanese Democratic Party Talal Arslan resigned later on the afternoon of the same day. Arslan was not pleased with the share he was allotted, doubting that Mikati will succeed in his new mission as head of Lebanon's new government.

The centrist bloc, whom new Prime Minister Najib Mikati represents was allotted seven portfolios, while the share of President Michel Sleiman consists of two portfolios and the Druze Progressive Socialist Party counts three representatives in the new government.

The key Interior Ministry portfolio which was vied by both the President and the head of the country's largest Christian bloc Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, was allotted to a consensus figure.

The country's western-backed March 14 Alliance led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri declined to join a government which was led by a Hezbollah-endorsed Prime Minister.

The government was announced after the tripartite meeting of the President Michel Sleiman, Speak Nabih Berri and Prime Minister- designate Najib Mikati.

Mikati said after the announcement of the government birth that it will be devoted to implementing the Taif Accord, defending the country's sovereignty, liberating the remaining territories occupied by Israel, and resorting to calm dialogue under the constitution's framework.

The new government will hold its first session on Wednesday. A committee of ministers will now be tasked to draft a policy statement for the new government to approve and later on present to the Parliament for a vote of confidence.

The new government was formed after almost five months of deliberations between the March 8 parties who won the premiership consultation in the Parliament in January over the western-backed March 14 Alliance.

Backed by March 8's leading party Hezbollah, Mikati was designated to form a new government on January 25. The allies of the bloc, including Hezbollah's Christian ally Michel Aoun, and the Shiite Amal Movement leader, the Speaker Nabih Berri, started a long-time bargain since then over the government portfolios, which delayed the birth of the government.

The country's last government collapsed due to the two blocs' conflict on former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri's assassination in 2005.

The March 14 supported the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the killing, but Hezbollah and its allies wanted to boycott it.

Hezbollah was widely condemned being involved in the killing, but the group has constantly denied the charge.  

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet