Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025

Incumbent Lebanese PM keeps post as economic crisis deepens

Incumbent Lebanese PM keeps post as economic crisis deepens

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati won the support of more than 50 legislators Thursday to keep his post following last month’s parliamentary elections as the country’s multiple crises deepen with no solution in sight.
After a day of binding consultations between President Michel Aoun and parliamentary blocs, Mikati was named by 54 lawmakers while his main rival for the post got less than half that figure. Forty-six legislators abstained from naming anyone.

The new government’s main mission will be to continue talks with the International Monetary Fund over an economic recovery plan for Lebanon, which is in the grips of the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history.

The nearly three-year-old economic meltdown — rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by Lebanon’s ruling class — has been only getting worse with no serious steps taken to start getting the country out of its problems. The economy has been shrinking, power cuts last for much of the day and most people have no access to their savings in banks.

“Without a deal with the International Monetary Fund there will be no opportunities for salvation. This (deal) is the main gate for salvation” Mikati said after he was chosen, adding that “we will not let Lebanon collapse.”

“We are now facing the challenge of total collapse or gradual salvation,” Mikati said . He said he extends his hand “to everyone without exception. The nation needs our arms.”

In April, Lebanon and the IMF reached a tentative agreement for comprehensive economic policies that could eventually pave the way for some relief for the country after Beirut implements wide-ranging reforms.

The staff level agreement between Lebanon and the IMF listed five “key pillars” that should be implemented, including restructuring the financial sector, implementing fiscal reforms, and the proposed restructuring of external public debt, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering efforts.

Mikati said his government will continue talks with the IMF adding that the deal reached in April could be used as a roadmap.

Mikati was widely expected to get the largest support from legislators to form a new Cabinet that will be in power until the end of October when Aoun’s six-year term expires. Such a short tenure could make it difficult for the billionaire premier to form a Cabinet since it usually takes months to form a government in Lebanon due to political bickering.

The other candidate for the post was Lebanon’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Nawaf Salam, who is backed by independents, the nationalist Kataeb Party and the bloc backed by Druze leader Walid Joumblatt. Salam was chosen by 25 legislators.

Mikati had the backing of the powerful Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, as well as some Sunni legislators.

The two largest Christian blocs, the Saudi-backed Lebanese Forces party and the bloc of Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, did not name anyone.

“We chose not to name anyone because we are not for choosing Prime Minister Mikati since it will be difficult to form a government during this short period,” said Gebran Bassil, who heads the movement.

Mikati’s previous government, which was formed in September, became a caretaker Cabinet after the May 15 parliamentary elections that gave the majority of the legislature’s seats to mainstream political groups blamed for decades of corruption and mismanagement that led to the economic meltdown.

Last month’s vote for the 128-member legislature also saw Hezbollah and its allies lose majority seats in parliament that they had held since 2018.

Since the economic meltdown that began in October 2019, the Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value, tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs, and many have left the small nation of 6 million, which includes 1 million Syrian refugees.

Lebanon’s crisis was made worse by the coronavirus pandemic and a massive blast in August 2020 that killed more than 200, injured thousands and destroyed Beirut’s port and damaged parts of the country’s capital.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
×