Lebanon on Friday formed a new government, putting an end to a 13-month deadlock that saw the country slide deeper into financial chaos and poverty.
Gatekeepers News reports that Lebanon has been without a fully empowered government since the catastrophic August 4, 2020 explosion at Beirut port, which forced the resignation of then Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government.
Rival political groups had been locked in disagreement over the make-up of a new government since then, hastening the country’s economic meltdown.
The Presidency announced a new Cabinet of 24 ministers headed by billionaire businessman Najib Mikati.
The new government announced on Friday faces a huge task including undertaking critically needed reforms.
Gatekeepers News reports that the new government will be overseeing a financial audit of the Central Bank, and resuming negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a rescue package to stem the country’s collapse. The new Cabinet is also expected to oversee general elections scheduled for 2022.
Mikati, a businessman from the northern city of Tripoli and one of the richest men in Lebanon, was tasked with forming a new government in July. He served as prime minister in 2005 and from 2011 to 2013.
According to AP News, Mikati became a favorite for the post after he was endorsed by most of Lebanon’s political parties, including the powerful Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and the other major Shiite party, Amal, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
He was also endorsed by former Sunni prime ministers including former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who abandoned efforts to form a government earlier this year after failing to agree with President Michel Aoun on the Cabinet’s makeup.
