Cabinet reconvenes at the Grand Serail. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — The cabinet is reconvened Wednesday morning in the Grand Serail for a second day of talks about the Finance Ministry’s 2022 draft budget.
Here's what we know:
• During Tuesday's session, the ministers reportedly discussed 80 articles of the more than 1,200-page document, moving line by line.
• On Tuesday, Energy Minister Walid Fayad and Tourism Minister Walid Nassar expressed their disapproval of discussing the budget line by line and said the discussion should focus on overall priorities.
• Meanwhile, truck drivers who have been mobilizing for months to secure improvements in their pay and working conditions are out on the streets again Wednesday morning, blocking roads near the Grand Serail. Roadblocks were also established near the An-Nahar building, in Zoqaq al-Blat, and on the Ring road.
• The cabinet is expected to continue meeting daily through Friday to discuss the budget.
• At the same time, formal discussions between Lebanon and the IMF have continued since Monday, with few details about the content of the talks emerging.