The informal meeting between several ministers chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, at the Grand Serail in Beirut, December 16, 2022. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — A meeting of 20 ministers took place on Friday at the Grand Serail in Beirut, chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, to decide on a "mechanism" to continue the management of current affairs in the absence of a president.
Lebanon — in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis — has been experiencing a double executive vacancy since Nov. 1 following the end of former president Michel Aoun's term. Some accuse Mikati of trying to arrogate to himself the prerogatives of the president by convening the Council of Ministers, which he did earlier this month.
Twenty out of 24 ministers were present at this "informal meeting" on Friday, a ministerial source confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour. The four absent ministers were Saadeh Chami, Vice President of the Council of Ministers; Youssef Khalil, Minister of Finance; Firass Abiad, Minister of Health; and Najla Riachi, Minister of State for Administrative Reform.
"All the Aounist ministers were there," the same source said, referring to the political camp that has wielded the strongest criticisms of Mikati's initiatives. The discussion focused mainly on technical and constitutional aspects, as well as possible solutions to find a "viable mechanism" to hold future meetings.
The possibility of adopting "mobile decrees" on certain issues was also raised, as Lebanon grapples with its three-year-long economic crisis.
The meeting determined that four ministers — who are also judges — will meet Saturday and Monday to discuss the "mechanism" to be put in place to allow the caretaker prime minister to approve certain files.
These four ministers are: Bassam Mawlawi (Interior), Abbas Halabi (Education), Henri Khoury (Justice) and Mohammad Mortada (Culture).