BEIRUT: Future Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat said Monday the reasons behind the government shutdown were not only political, but sectarian.

“There are political and sectarian reasons behind the shutdown,” Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.

He accused head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati of attempting to boost their popular credentials with Christians and Sunnis, respectively.

Fatfat said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is another reason for the crippling of the government, which might be used as justification for the immediate renewal of the STL Protocol agreement with Lebanon.

Last week, Mikati suspended Cabinet sessions after sharp differences with Aoun over the appointment of public employees.

Mikati vowed not to resume Cabinet meetings before an agreement is reached on a formula to make the government productive, rather than a venue for futile bickering.