Lebanon’s newly formed government has successfully passed a vote of confidence in parliament, after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam delivered a speech promising to implement economic reforms and open discussions with the International Monetary Fund.
The government of Salam secured the support of 95 lawmakers out of the 128-seat chamber during a session held late on Wednesday.
Lebanon’s political landscape has undergone significant changes since Hezbollah, a key player in Lebanese politics for a long time, suffered major losses in last year’s conflict with Israel.
The policy statement of the new government did not include language that had previously been seen as endorsing Hezbollah’s role in defending Lebanon.
“We aim for a state that has sole authority in making decisions about war and peace, a state that upholds the constitution and national agreements to ensure the implementation of unresolved issues,” Salam stated before parliament.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah expressed its support for the government through a speech delivered by senior Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad.
“We will focus on removing Lebanon from the grey list and initiating talks with the International Monetary Fund,” Salam announced before the vote. “The interests of depositors will be our top priority.”
The new administration in Lebanon consists of individuals outside of the traditional political circles and presented its agenda to a parliament that is still largely dominated by parties blamed for the country’s near bankruptcy, as reported by Zeina Khodr from Beirut, Lebanon.
“This marks a new era, following Hezbollah’s conflict with Israel and the downfall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, which cut off supply routes from Iran,” Khodr remarked.
“The new government does not grant exclusive status to Hezbollah as the only legitimate armed group apart from the military. We are witnessing the dawn of a post-Hezbollah period.”
Apart from security concerns, the government will also have to address extensive reconstruction efforts, as well as a struggling economy and financial sector, among other challenges, Khodr noted.
Lebanon has been facing an economic crisis since 2019, when its financial system collapsed under the weight of massive national debts, leading to a sovereign default in 2020 and preventing ordinary depositors from accessing their savings in the banking system.
The country formed a new government on February 8, with direct intervention from the US aimed at facilitating the process and getting closer to accessing reconstruction funds post the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Beirut had reached a preliminary funding agreement with the IMF in 2022, but the disbursement is contingent on reforms that the authorities have yet to implement.
