
The Grand Serail in downtown Beirut. (Credit: Illustration photo P.H.B./L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — The caretaker government of Najib Mikati has issued a circular prohibiting any changes to the status of civil servants, including promotions, transfers or new assignments.
The decision, dated Monday and shared by the media, was addressed to all public administrations and institutions. It applies retroactively from Jan. 9, 2024 — the date when parliament ended a more than two-year presidential vacuum by electing Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun as president. However, the circular does not specify an expiration date.
Binding parliamentary consultations led by Aoun resulted in the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister-designate. Salam has been working to form a new government to replace Mikati's caretaker administration, which has been in place since the May 2022 parliamentary elections.
The circular appears aimed at preventing any changes to the civil service until the formation of a new cabinet.