The President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, receiving the designated Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, in Baabda, on Jan. 14, 2025. Photo taken from the presidency's X account.
The think tank Change Lebanon, representing both resident citizens and expatriates who align with the values of the 2019 protest movement, called on Tuesday for President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam to "put the country's interest above partisan interests and other communal calculations" in forming the government.
Noting the "geopolitical changes that have occurred in neighboring countries" and that the war with Israel had "shuffled the deck" in Lebanon, the group's statement calls on the two heads of the executive, whose inauguration it sees as a "hope for the emergence of leaders in line with the people's will for change," to "seize this opportunity to turn the page" by forming a Cabinet "carrying clear and uncompromising reforms."
Although Salam reiterated last week that he still did not wish to include partisan figures or potential candidates for the upcoming elections in his cabinet, the formation process remains subject to intense negotiations: while some reports indicate that the Amal-Hezbollah duo has succeeded in securing the key Finance portfolio (which would be given to former minister Yassin Jaber), it is now facing criticism from other parties demanding similar consideration.
"A change in governance, away from political interference and without the temptation to compromise at the expense of justice, is now vital. Amnesty is not an option," reads the group's statement, as the families of the victims of the deadly Aug. 4, 2020, explosion at the Beirut port held their traditional sit-in yesterday under the Emigrant statue.
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