The entrance to the Finance Ministry in downtown Beirut. (Credit: NNA)
As negotiations of the formation of the new government continue, one ministry in particular stands out: Finance, which the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, is eager to keep in his fold – following the six-year term of his right-hand man, Ali Hassan Khalil (from February 2014 to January 2020), and then one of his close allies, the current caretaker minister Youssef Khalil. The current acting governor of the Central Bank Wassim Manssouri and former MP Yassine Jaber are among the favorites for the post.If the leader of the Amal Movement justified this by the need to preserve Shiite representation within the new government, particularly through the famous "fourth signature" which gives him oversight on all decrees with financial implications (which are most), controlling this key portfolio also ensures him a capacity to block...
As negotiations of the formation of the new government continue, one ministry in particular stands out: Finance, which the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, is eager to keep in his fold – following the six-year term of his right-hand man, Ali Hassan Khalil (from February 2014 to January 2020), and then one of his close allies, the current caretaker minister Youssef Khalil. The current acting governor of the Central Bank Wassim Manssouri and former MP Yassine Jaber are among the favorites for the post.If the leader of the Amal Movement justified this by the need to preserve Shiite representation within the new government, particularly through the famous "fourth signature" which gives him oversight on all decrees with financial implications (which are most), controlling this key portfolio also ensures him a capacity to...