That concludes our live coverage of the formation of government today. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow with more news and follow-up analyses about what the new Cabinet may have in store for Lebanon. Goodnight!
The new minister of telecommunications, Charles al-Hajj, thanked Aoun and Salam "for their confidence" in a statement posted on X this evening.
”I am committed above all to working seriously to improve the telecommunications sector, which is the pillar of economic, social and political life," he wrote. "I also pledge to be transparent with public opinion."
President Joseph Aoun expressed his “satisfaction with the formation of the new government,” congratulating the prime minister and ministers and wishing them success in their tasks.
Aoun emphasized that “the members of the government are non-partisan and will certainly be at the service of all Lebanese, as their objective is to serve the interests of Lebanon.”
The formation of the “government of reform and salvation” was based on “criteria of competence, experience, specialization, CV and reputation,” Aoun wrote. “I agreed with President Salam that the government would not include ministers belonging to political parties, that it would be homogeneous and united, and that it would work as a cohesive team.”
Former Security General director Abbase Ibrahim congratulated Lebanon on its new government, while also warning it faces "major risks," and stating that an end to Israeli occupation in the South should be a priority moving forward.
"The challenges facing Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his ministerial team are great,” he wrote in a statement shared on X. "What lies ahead regionally and internationally involves major risks. No priority surpasses that of demanding the withdrawal of the Israeli occupier from our beloved southern region.”
Since the nearly two-and-a-half-year presidential vacancy was resolved on Jan. 9, a domino effect has suddenly propelled Lebanese politics forward. Army chief Joseph Aoun becoming president allowed for non-binding consultations that resulted in International Court judge Nawaf Salam being appointed prime minister, and today, after three weeks of further non-binding consultations, Lebanon was presented with its new Cabinet.
Salam's government succeeds outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati's 2021 team, which has been acting under caretaker status since 2022 but nonetheless accompanied the people of Lebanon through a devastating period, during which almost 4,000 people were killed by Israel's sweeping bombing campaign against Hezbollah in the country's southern and eastern areas.
Some of these ministers, regardless of their caretaker status, left quite an impact — for better or for worse. Read Ghadir Hamadi's retrospective here. 👈
Former prime minister Saad Hariri has given his congratulations to Salam for the formation of his Cabinet, writing a post on X saying, "The Lebanese people deserve the opportunity to see the great expectations placed in the mandate and the government realized.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot sent his congratulations for Lebanon's new Cabinet in a post on X, writing: “The Lebanese government has been formed. Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Best wishes to Joe Raggi, appointed minister of foreign affairs."
Incoming Minister of Information Paul Morcos says today's new Cabinet formation may not be able to "do the impossible," but "it's work will be diligent," according to a report from al-Jadeed.
"Lebanon faces great dangers, which were and still are present," Morcos told the local TV channel, "but what has changed today is the new political management of the country, led by the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, and the Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam.”
"Although the new government will not be able to do the impossible, its work will be diligent," he added.
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati called his successor, Nawaf Salam, to congratulate him on the formation of the new government and to wish him success in the work of the new cabinet, according to the information from our political columnist, Hoda Chedid.
The fifth Shiite minister, who was an obstacle in the negotiations with the Shiite duo Amal-Hezbollah, is Fadi Makki. He falls under the Prime Minister’s share, not the Shiite duo’s, according to our information.
Five women are part of Nawaf Salam’s government, compared to only one in the previous cabinet.
The European Union Ambassador to Lebanon, Sandra De Waele, posted a message on X just minutes after the announcement of Nawaf Salam’s government, expressing “support for the new Lebanese government.” “We welcome Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s commitment to adopt a reformist agenda. Reforms are necessary for the future of Lebanon, and we will continue to support them. We rely on all political actors not only to adopt reforms but also to implement them,” she wrote.
• Minister of the Displaced and Minister of State for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Kamal Chehadeh
• Minister of Labor: Mohammad Haidar
• Minister of Health: Rakan Nasreddine
• Minister of Information: Paul Morcos
• Minister of Administrative Development: Fadi Makki
• Minister of Justice: Adel Nassar
• Minister of Social Affairs: Hanine Sayyed
• Minister of Public Works and Transport: Fayez Rasamny
• Minister of Industry: Joe Issa el-Khoury
• Minister of Agriculture: Nizar Hani
• Minister of Youth and Sports: Noura Baïrakdarian
• Minister of Telecommunications: Charles el-Hajj
• Minister of the Environment: Tamara Elzein
• Minister of Defense: Michel Mensa
• Minister of Economy: Amer Bisat
• Minister of Tourism: Laura el-Khazen Lahoud
• Minister of Education: Rima Karameh
• Minister of Energy and Water: Joe Saddi
Here is the list of the members of the new government:
• Prime Minister: Nawaf Salam
• Deputy Prime Minister: Tarek Mitri
• Minister of Finance: Yassine Jaber
• Minister of Culture: Ghassan Salamé
• Minister of the Interior: Ahmad Hajjar
• Minister of Foreign Affairs: Joe Raggi
Salam: I want to restore trust between Lebanon and neighboring countries.
Salam: I want to establish the rule of law, laying the foundation for reform and salvation, to begin the project of a new Lebanon with the president.
Salam: No government formulation can satisfy everyone, but this team will work in harmony and it will not be a place of dissension but of work.
We must restore trust between the government and the people, especially by meeting the ambitions of the youth, Nawaf Salam added.
Nawaf Salam stressed that “reform is the only path for real change, with security, the implementation of Resolution 1701, and the Israeli withdrawal” from villages and areas still occupied in southern Lebanon.
The new government is titled “Reform and Rescue,” announced the designated Prime Minister.
Nawaf Salam speaks from the presidential palace in Baabda.
Makkieh read the decrees signed by the President of the Republic regarding the resignation of the outgoing cabinet led by Najib Mikati and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as President of the Council.
The Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Mahmoud Makkieh, announced the formation of the government in Baabda.
Salam’s latest negotiations primarily stalled over the choice of the candidate for the fifth ministry allocated to the Shiite community. Both Aoun and Salam insist on proposing a nominee for this position themselves.
On Thursday, the Speaker of Parliament and leader of the Amal Movement, Nabih Berri, rejected the candidate proposed by the President and the designated Prime Minister, derailing a meeting after which the announcement of the new ministerial team had seemed imminent. A second candidate, Nasser Saidi, a former Minister of Economy and Industry, was accepted on Friday by Berri — who negotiates on behalf of the Hezbollah-Amal Shiite duo — but Saidi himself declined the position.
Salam was designated Prime Minister on Jan. 14, 2025. Since then, he has been holding consultations to form his team, which he intends to be composed of non-partisan figures.
The outgoing government of Najib Mikati has been solely responsible for handling day-to-day affairs since the legislative elections in May 2022.
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam arrived at the Baabda presidential palace around 2 p.m. to present Joseph Aoun with a draft of his cabinet. This meeting marked the fourth in four days between the two men, with the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, also joining the discussion.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of political news, as the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, and the designated Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, have signed the decree forming the new government after three weeks of negotiations.
According to the presidency’s X account, Mr. Aoun has also signed the decree accepting the resignation of the outgoing government led by Nagib Mikati.
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