A new Lebanese cabinet led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab was formed in Lebanon on 21 January 2020,[1][2][3] after agreement was reached by the heads of the involved political parties after nearly three months.[4][5] The already delegitimized government assigned Diab and his new cabinet, despite ongoing public outrage against the new cabinet and citizen requests for a competent, independent, and technocratic government.[6][7] The marketing campaign by the authoritative powers around the new cabinet were mired by obvious untruths such as Diab claiming to have met "representatives of the thawra" but turned out to be regime supporters[8] or the regime using the term "techno-political" to describe the new cabinet in order to justify the majority partisan appointments (as seen in the graph below).[9] Diab was appointed prime minister by President Michel Aoun following the resignation of Saad Hariri following the 2019–20 Lebanese protests, that started in October 2019.[10][11] On 10 August 2020, the government resigned following public anger over the 2020 Beirut explosions on 4 August but continues to govern as a caretaker government.
Cabinet of Hassan Diab | |
|---|---|
 Cabinet of Lebanon | |
.jpg) Hassan Diab | |
| Date formed | 21 January 2020 |
| Date dissolved | 10 September 2021 |
| People and organisations | |
| President | Michel Aoun |
| Head of government | Hassan Diab |
| Deputy head of government | Zeina Akar |
| No. of ministers | 20 |
| Total no. of members | 20 |
| Opposition party | Future Movement Lebanese Forces Progressive Socialist Party Kataeb Party Azm Movement Independence Movement Popular Nasserite Organization |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Third Cabinet of Saad Hariri |
| Successor | Third Cabinet of Najib Mikati |
The cabinet, which was composed of twenty ministers, appointed six female members to improve the gender ratio and cited the ratio of male to female members as "more than any previous Lebanese government".[12][13]
Beirut port explosion
editOn 10 August 2020, the entire cabinet resigned following public anger over the 2020 Beirut explosions on 4 August that killed more than 200 people.[14] The cabinet continues to govern in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.[15][16][17][18]
In December 2020, Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister Diab and three former ministers were charged with negligence over the Beirut port explosion. The former ministers were former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zeiter and Youssef Fenianos, both former ministers of public works. Zeitar was transport and public works minister in 2014, followed by Fenianos in 2016, who held the job until the beginning of 2020. Khalil was finance minister in 2014, 2016 and until 2020.[19] Ali Hassan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos were both sanctioned by the US treasury for corruption, misappropriation of funds, and empowering Hezbollah - labelled as a terrorist organization by several nations.[20]
Composition
editReferences
edit- ^ "Lebanon president taps Hezbollah-backed Diab for prime minister". DW. 19 December 2019.
- ^ "New Lebanese Government Formed after 3 Months of Political Vacuum". Naharnet. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "Lebanon announces formation of new government". Al Jazeera. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ Moubayed, Sami (4 December 2019). "Hariri nominates Samir Al Khatib as Lebanese premier. Who is he?". Gulf News.
- ^ "Reports: Hariri to Agree to Techno-Political Govt., Consultations Wednesday". Naharnet. 10 November 2019.
- ^ "Thousands protest in Lebanon against new Prime Minister Hassan Diab". 22 December 2019.
- ^ "Who's who in Lebanon's new government". 22 January 2020.
- ^ ميديا, المدن-. "الثوار لمن لبّى دعوة حسان دياب: #مثّل_نفسك". almodon.
- ^ "Scepticism over Lebanon's 'technocratic' cabinet". 22 January 2020.
- ^ "Lebanese president asks Hassan Diab to form government". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ Yee, Vivian (29 October 2019). "Lebanon's Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, Steps Down in Face of Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "وكالة القدس للأنباء - الإعلان عن تشكيل الحكومة اللبنانية ولأول مرة تنصيب إمراة وزيرة للدفاع". alqudsnews.net. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- ^ "Lebanon announces new 'expert' government". DW. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023.
- ^ "Beirut explosion: Lebanon's government resigns as public anger mounts". BBC News. 10 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ Holtmeier, Lauren; Hilton, Tommy (22 January 2020). "Who's who in Lebanon's new government". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "My political backers are against a forensic audit of BDL: Wazni". msn.com.[dead link]
- ^ Al Sherbini, Ramadan (29 June 2020). "Lebanese interior minister admits to killing two people". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023.
- ^ Moubayed, Sami (22 January 2020). "Who are the ministers in Lebanon's new government?". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Beirut port explosion prosecutor charges Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab, three ex-ministers with negligence". 10 December 2020. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024 – via ABC News.
- ^ "Treasury Targets Hizballah's Enablers in Lebanon". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024.