Beirut , Lebanon ( CNN ) -- A political showdown now looms in Lebanon after a potential kingmaker threw his allegiance Friday behind the opposition Hezbollah . Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said his support lies with Syria and those who oppose a United Nations-backed tribunal 's investigation of the assassination of a former prime minister . `` I 'm assuring that the party will remain persistently on the side of Syria and the resistance , '' Jumblatt said in a televised news conference Friday . Hezbollah 's military wing is often referred to as a resistance movement in the Muslim world . 'Kingmaker ' holds the key . `` Hopefully , the democratic game will move away from the tensions and the sectarian alliances , and we should stay open for dialogue , despite the schism that has happened and will continue to happen , '' said Jumblatt , who heads the Progressive Socialist Party . Members of Hezbollah forced the collapse of Lebanon 's Western-backed government last week because of now-caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri 's continued cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon . It is widely expected that the tribunal will indict members of the militant Shiite Muslim group for the 2005 killing of Hariri 's father , Prime Minister Rafik Hariri . The tribunal has scheduled a hearing for February 7 but it is unrelated to the indictment , said spokesman Crispin Thorold . A judge is currently reviewing the prosecutor 's probe results , a process that could take up to 10 weeks . After the government collapsed , Lebanese President Michel Suleiman asked Saad Hariri to stay on as caretaker prime minister . Suleiman will begin speaking with members of parliament Monday to see who they want to be prime minister . The system of power-sharing that prevails in Lebanon mandates that the prime minister 's office be reserved for a Sunni Muslim . The president is a Maronite Christian and the speaker of parliament is a Shiite Muslim . Jumblatt 's announcement Friday was key , just days ahead of the key talks with Suleiman . In the past , Jumblatt has supported the tribunal , and his 11-member parliamentary bloc was officially part of Hariri 's March 14 alliance . But recently , Jumblatt has become increasingly neutral , and now , he could play a decisive role in deciding who will be Lebanon 's next prime minister , given the small majority that Hariri 's alliance retains in the 128-seat parliament . `` The course of the tribunal has shifted to become a tool of destruction and has gone off the course of justice to enter the political bazaar and the blackmail market , '' Jumblatt said . Hariri said Thursday he intends to regain his post . That announcement came after a flurry of mediation efforts by regional powers fizzled . If Lebanon 's crisis can not be settled , fears are that the Middle Eastern nation -- no stranger to sectarian strife -- could see more bloodshed . `` There is total mistrust between the parties and this is why a compromise is necessary , '' Jumblatt told CNN . He said he was `` obliged '' to take a side after `` forces of darkness '' obstructed regional efforts to resolve the tribunal dispute and Lebanon 's political crisis . But , he said , `` even if I side , I will do my best to find out a compromise . '' CNN 's Nada Husseini , Nic Robertson and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report .
President Abbas will play a decisive role in choosing the next prime minister . He says he supports those who are appointed to a U.N.-backed tribunal . The tribunal is expected to try Hezbollah members in Rafik Hussein 's government .