Cabinet of Hassan Diab

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Cabinet of Hassan Diab

Cabinet of Lebanon
Hassan Diab
Date formed21 January 2020 (2020-01-21)
Date dissolved10 September 2021 (2021-09-10)
People and organisations
PresidentMichel Aoun
Head of governmentHassan Diab
Deputy head of governmentZeina Akar
No. of ministers20
Total no. of members20
Opposition partyFuture Movement
Lebanese Forces
Progressive Socialist Party
Kataeb Party
Azm Movement
Independence Movement
Popular Nasserite Organization
History
PredecessorThird Cabinet of Saad Hariri
SuccessorThird Cabinet of Najib Mikati

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.

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[edit]

On 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[edit]

Cabinet of Hassan Diab
Portfolio Minister Political affiliation Religious affiliation Governorate
Prime Minister share (5/20)
Prime Minister Hassan Diab   Independent Sunni Beirut
Interior Mohammed Fahmi   Independent Sunni Beirut
Telecommunications Talal Hawat   Independent Sunni North
Education Tarek Majzoub   Independent Sunni Beirut
Environment Damianos Kattar   Independent Maronite South
Presidential and Strong Lebanon share (9/20)
Deputy Prime Minister Zeina Akar   Free Patriotic Movement Greek Orthodox North
Defence
Energy and Water Raymond Ghajar   Free Patriotic Movement Greek Orthodox North
Justice Marie-Claude Najm   Free Patriotic Movement Maronite North
Foreign Affairs Nassif Hitti

(Resigned on 3 August)

  Free Patriotic Movement Maronite North
Charbel Wehbe

(Appointed on 3 August, resigned on May 19)

  Free Patriotic Movement Maronite Mount Lebanon
Zeina Akar

(Ad interim, appointed on May 19)

  Free Patriotic Movement Greek Orthodox North
Economy Raoul Nehme   Free Patriotic Movement Greek Catholic Beirut
Displaced Ghada Chreim   Free Patriotic Movement Greek Catholic Beqaa
Youth Vartine Ohanian   Tashnag Armenian Orthodox Mount Lebanon
Tourism Ramzi Mcharrafieh   Lebanese Democratic Party Druze Mount Lebanon
Social Affairs
Information Manal Abdel Samad   Lebanese Democratic Party Druze Mount Lebanon
Marada Movement share (2/20)
Labor Lamia Yammine   Marada Movement Maronite North
Public Works Michel Najjar   Marada Movement Greek Orthodox North
Amal Movement share (2/20)
Finance Ghazi Wazni   Amal Movement Shia Nabatieh
Culture Abbas Mortada   Amal Movement Shia Beqaa
Agriculture
Hezbollah share (2/20)
Industry Imad Hoballah   Hezbollah Shia North
Health Hamad Hasan   Hezbollah Shia Baalbek-Hermel
Preceded by List of Lebanese governments Succeeded by

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Lebanon president taps Hezbollah-backed Diab for prime minister | DW | 19.12.2019". DW.COM.
  2. ^ "New Lebanese Government Formed after 3 Months of Political Vacuum". Naharnet. January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Lebanon announces formation of new government". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Hariri nominates Samir Al Khatib as Lebanese premier. Who is he?". gulfnews.com.
  5. ^ "Reports: Hariri to Agree to Techno-Political Govt., Consultations Wednesday". Naharnet.
  6. ^ "Thousands protest in Lebanon against new Prime Minister Hassan Diab". 22 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Who's who in Lebanon's new government". 22 January 2020.
  8. ^ ميديا, المدن-. "الثوار لمن لبّى دعوة حسان دياب: #مثّل_نفسك". almodon.
  9. ^ "Scepticism over Lebanon's 'technocratic' cabinet". 22 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Lebanese president asks Hassan Diab to form government". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "وكالة القدس للأنباء - الإعلان عن تشكيل الحكومة اللبنانية ولأول مرة تنصيب إمراة وزيرة للدفاع". alqudsnews.net. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Lebanon announces new 'expert' government | DW | 21.01.2020". DW.COM.
  14. ^ "Beirut explosion: Lebanon's government resigns as public anger mounts". BBC News. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Who's who in Lebanon's new government". Al Arabiya English. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  16. ^ "My political backers are against a forensic audit of BDL: Wazni". www.msn.com.
  17. ^ "Lebanese interior minister admits to killing two people". gulfnews.com.
  18. ^ "Who are the ministers in Lebanon's new government?". gulfnews.com.
  19. ^ "Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister charged with negligence over Beirut port explosion". 10 December 2020 – via www.abc.net.au.
  20. ^ "Treasury Targets Hizballah's Enablers in Lebanon".