New Lebanese Government Formed before End of Deadline

By Staff, Agencies

Before the end of the deadline he has set to himself, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on Tuesday the formation of the country’s new government, saying his cabinet will try to meet the demands of protesters.

Speaking at the Lebanese presidential palace in Beirut, Diab described his government — made up of 20 specialist ministers backed by the country's political parties — as a technocratic "rescue team" that would work to achieve the goals of protesters who first took to the streets in October last year.

"This is a government that represents the aspirations of the demonstrators who have been mobilized nationwide for more than three months," Diab said, adding that his government "will strive to meet their demands for an independent judiciary, for the recovery of embezzled funds, for the fight against illegal gains.”

He went on to say that, "In this decisive moment, I salute the revolution and the uprising that pushed us towards this and Lebanon has become victorious. We will achieve the social cohesion. There will be accountability."

The country had been without an effective government since Saad al-Hariri submitted his resignation as premier to Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun in October.

Since October 17, Lebanon has been rocked by nationwide protests against rising inflation and living costs as the government struggles to attract investment amid increasing economic hardships and a decreasing capital flow to the country.