Lebanon forms new government after two years of deadlock
Lebanon has formed a new government, the presidency announced on Saturday.
Joseph Aoun, the newly appointed president, signed a decree "to form a government of 24 ministers", the presidency said in a post on X.
In two other decrees, the president "accepted the resignation of [caretaker] Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government" and formally appointed "Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to form the government".
Nawaf Salam, who recently left his role as the president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said the 24-member cabinet would be a "government of reform and salvation".
He said the government would prioritise financial reform, reconstruction and the implementation of a UN resolution to bring about stability along the border with Israel.
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The incoming government includes five women.
The cabinet was formed after two years of political deadlock under a caretaker government.
Salam said his government would not include any members of political parties or anyone planning to run in parliamentary elections.
He added that he hoped the diverse cabinet would "work in harmony".
"This government will seek to restore confidence between citizens and the state, between Lebanon and its Arab surroundings, and between Lebanon and the international community," Salam said.
Salam served as Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations from 2007 to 2017 before joining the ICJ in 2018. He was elected president of the court in February last year.
Some of his backers view Salam as a relatively impartial figure outside of Lebanon's political class.
The new government will be tasked with dealing with a severe economic crisis that has persisted for over five years, resulting in the lira losing almost 100 percent of its value.
It will also be faced with the task of reconstructing the country after over a year of Israeli bombardment, which was halted by a fragile ceasefire that took effect in late November.
The UN said the formation of the new government "heralds a new and brighter chapter for Lebanon" and said it hoped to work with the new government on reforms and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
Salam said the cabinet would prioritise implementing the resolution and the ceasefire deal agreed last year.
The ceasefire agreement states that Israeli troops should leave southern Lebanon, Hezbollah should withdraw its fighters and arms from the border region, and the Lebanese army should deploy in the area by 18 February.
Before the new cabinet can exercise its powers, it will need to draft a ministerial statement, which will face a confidence vote in parliament within 30 days.
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