From the Baabda presidential palace, Security-General of the Council of Ministers Mahmoud Makkiyyeh announced the formation of the new long-awaited government.
Newly-elected Lebanese president and ex-Lebanese Army Commander-in-Chief accepted the formal resignation of previous Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s caretaker government, and accepted the decree assigning new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to form the government of 24 ministers.
The announcement took place after weeks of arduous back-to-back deliberations between Salam and Lebanon’s various political groups, in addition to substantial intervention from foreign states.
The latest two mishaps obstructing the government’s finalization were the fifth “Shia-dedicated” seat in the government. Reportedly, the position was that of the Ministry of Administrative Development, which finally ended with the appointment of Dr. Fadi Makki, close to a number of academic and pro-change circles.
The second mishap was the visit of United States Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus. Ortagus had insisted that the new leaders remain committed to combating corruption not including Hezbollah in the new government in a controversial statement she gave from Baabda palace on Friday, February 7
The New Council of Ministers
Who are the members of the new Council of Ministers?
- Prime Minister Nawaf Salam: international jurist that lastly served as the president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague.
- Deputy Prime Minister, Tarek Mitri, university professor, previous Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General and former minister in four governments.
- Finance Minister, Yassin Jaber, responsible for a number of pivotal financial and economic files in the upcoming period. Jaber is a Member of Parliament affiliated to the Amal Movement.
- Foreign Affairs Minister, Joe Rajji, long-time diplomat and previous Lebanese Ambassador to Jordan.
- Environment Minister, Tamara el-Zein, Secretary-General of the National Council for Scientific Research from 2022.
- Minister of Youth and Sports, Nora Baïrakdarian, university professor and Head of the International Relations Department at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the Lebanese University.
- Energy Minister, Joe Saddi, former global Chairman of Booz & Company and Managing Director of its Middle East business.
- Justice Minister, Adel Nassar, lawyer and Partner at Raphael Associés for over 30 years.
- Culture Minister, Ghassan Salameh, who already served as Culture Minister between 2000 and 2003 and previous Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs and professor of International Relations at Sciences Po.
- Social Affairs Minister, Hanine el-Sayyed, development and social protection expert with experience at organizations such as the World Bank.
- Public Works Fayez Rasamni, entrepreneur and third generation-manager chairing the board of directors of Rasamny Younes Motor Company (RYMCO), a leading car dealer in Lebanon.
- Agriculture Minister, Nizar Hani, Manager at the Shouf Biosphere Reserve.
- Defense Minister, Michel Mansa, served as Lieutenant Pilot and Major General and a notable figure in the Lebanese Armed Forces.
- Interior Minister, Ahmad el-Hajjar, retired Brigadier General in the Internal Security Forces.
- Health Minister, Rakan Nasreddine, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Academic Professor at the American University of Beirut.
- Labor Minister, Mohammad Haidar, Director of the Nuclear Medicine Department at the American University of Beirut Hospital.
- Minister of Displaced Persons and Minister of State for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Kamal Chehadeh, Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Emirates Telecommunications Group.
- Tourism Minister, Louwa el-Khazen Lahhoud, President of the International Festival of Classical Music.
- Minister of Information, Paul Morkos, Co-founder and President of Justicia Organization for Development and Human Rights (lawfirm) since January 2008.
- Minister of Administrative Development, Fadi Makki, Partner & Director in Boston Consulting Group’s Behavioral Science Lab.
- Economy Minister, Amer el-Bsat, Managing Director of Emerging Markets and Sovereign Investments at BlackRock, the largest foreign holder of Lebanese bonds.
- Industry Minister, Joe Issa el-Khoury, Chairman and General Manager of Investment House, the investment banking arm of Saradar Group.
- Telecommunications Minister, Charles el-Hajj, Former President of the Maronite Foundation in the World.
- Telecommunications Minister, Charles el-Hajj, Former President of the Maronite Foundation in the World.
- Education Minister, Rima Karami, Head of the Department of Education at the American University of Beirut. Karami received a lot of praise from pro-change political activists in the education field in Lebanon.