{{Short description|Executive body of the Republic of Lebanon}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{ Infobox executive government | government_name = Council of Ministers of the Lebanese Republic | nativename = مجلس الوزراء | image = [[File:Official_Logo_of_the_Council_of_Ministers_of_Lebanon.png|250px]] | date = 1926 (Constitution of the Republic of Lebanon) | state = [[Lebanese Republic]] | address = [[Grand Serail]] | appointed = [[President of Lebanon]] and [[Prime Minister of Lebanon]] | leader_title = [[Prime Minister of Lebanon]] | ministries = 24<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 February 2025|title=President Aoun and Premier salam signed the government formation decree. |url=https://www.presidency.gov.lb/English/News/Pages/Details.aspx?nid=26701 |access-date=1 November 2022 |website=Lebanese Presidency}}</ref> | responsible = [[Parliament of Lebanon|Chamber of Deputies]] | url = {{Official website}} }}
The '''Council of Ministers of Lebanon''' ({{langx|ar|مجلس الوزراء اللبناني|Majlis al-wozarah al-Lubnanī}}) is the executive body of the [[Republic of Lebanon]]. Its president is the [[Prime Minister of Lebanon]]. All Ministers are appointed by a Decree of the President of the Republic, which is countersigned by the Prime Minister. The appointed government also has to pass a confidence vote in the [[Parliament of Lebanon]].
As stipulated in Article 95 of the Lebanese constitution,<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 November 2022 |title=Lebanese Constitution |url=https://www.presidency.gov.lb/English/LebaneseSystem/Documents/Lebanese%20Constitution.pdf |website=Lebanese Presidency}}</ref> there are two political requirements for the council of ministers:
1- It has to be composed of an equal number of Muslim and Christian ministers.
2- The different sects of Lebanon shall be represented in a just and equitable manner in the formation of the Cabinet.
The Council of Ministers is considered to be the "government" of Lebanon according to the Constitution.
== History == The body was created on 23 May 1926, when the Constitution of the state of [[Greater Lebanon]] was promulgated. From the creation of the office in 1926 to the end of the Civil War, the Constitution made little mention of the roles and duties of the office, albeit for a mention of the President to "nominate one of the ministers as Prime Ministers". Following the end of the [[Lebanese Civil War]] and the ratification of the [[Ta'if Accord]], the responsibilities of the Council of Ministers were significantly strengthened, codified and clearly listed in the Constitution. Notably, the accord shifted the executive power from the President to the council.
== Formation of a Government == The council is formed by a Decree of the President of the Republic, which is countersigned by the Prime Minister. Within 30 days, the Chamber of Deputies must approve the Government through a vote of confidence, which requires a simple majority. By Article 64 of the Lebanese Constitution, it is the Prime Minister who assumes the negotiations with the Parliament for the formation of a government. By custom, the government is composed equally between Muslims and Christians - however, this is not a requirement specified in the Constitution.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Lebanon's Constitution of 1926 with Amendments through 2004 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Lebanon_2004.pdf?lang=en |access-date=21 July 2024 |website=constituteproject.org}}</ref>
=== Resignation of the Cabinet === According to Article 69 of the Constitution,<ref name=":0" /> the government is considered resigned when:
* The Prime Minister resigns or dies. * It loses more than a third of its members, as prescribed in its original decree of formation. * When a new president takes office. * At the beginning of a new term of the Chamber of Deputies. * When the Chamber of Deputies has a vote of no confidence in the Cabinet, either by the initiative of the Cabinet or the Chamber. * The President of the Republic fires the Prime Minister.
=== Caretaker government === When the government is considered resigned (as per the conditions set above), or has not yet received a vote of confidence from the Chamber of Deputies, it can only operate "in the narrow sense of ''conducting the business''".
In addition, the cabinet is a [[caretaker government]] when the term of the President of the Republic expires and the Parliament has not yet elected a new president. For example, [[Lebanese government of April 2013|this was the case]] for 2 years upon the expiration of President [[Michel Suleiman|Michel Suleiman's]] term in 2014 up until the election of [[Michel Aoun]] on 31 October 2016, with Prime Minister [[Tammam Salam]] acting as its Head.
== Responsibilities and powers == The council is generally tasked with overseeing daily affairs, and preparing bills for the House of Deputies to vote on. The individual ministers work on their own portfolios, and only need the signature of the President and the Prime Minister for decisions concerning their individual ministry. When decisions affect the entire government, a majority of the ministers are needed. For the government to consent on so-called "basic" issues (constitutional amendments, electoral laws, dissolving parliament, war and peace, intl. treaties, state of emergency, state budget, long-term development plans, appointing first-cadre state employees, redistricting, nationality laws, personal affairs law, dismissing ministers)<ref group="nb">The "basic issues" must be specified in the decree of formation of the government to be considered basic issues.</ref> a 2/3 majority of the ministers present is needed.
The following is a list of the powers of the Council of Ministers:
* Forming bills for the legislature to vote on. It elaborates the public agenda, and takes the necessary decisions for the implementation of the bills adopted by the House of Deputies. * Acquiesce on the decision of the President to dissolve the Parliament. * Consent on the President's ratification of international treaties. * Approve the dismissal of a minister by the President. * Oversee all civil, military, and security administrations. * It is the power to which the Armed Forces are subjected (however, the President is the commander-in-chief and thus has the final say).
=== Powers in relation to the President === Prior to the Ta'if Accord, the role of Council was to give the President its "favourable advice" rather than a clear consensus/majority on the issues prescribed above.<ref>{{Cite web | title=LEBANON Constitution | url=http://www.concourt.am/armenian/legal_resources/world_constitutions/constit/lebanon/lebann-e.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017161831/http://www.concourt.am:80/armenian/legal_resources/world_constitutions/constit/lebanon/lebann-e.htm | access-date=2025-04-05 | archive-date=2010-10-17}}</ref> Nevertheless, as the president is the sole person who can nominate/remove the ministers and the entire government, it is bound to be favorable to him or her. In addition, the Constitution is silent on the issue of '''retaliation''' - where if the President has the authority to fire the government and sign a decree it did not approve of - however this issue has never arisen since the Cabinet generally deferential to the President (or vice versa).
== Meetings and quorum == The President of the Council of Ministers is the Prime Minister. He heads the meetings and calls ordinary meetings. Whenever the president attends, however, he chairs the meetings (but without voting on its decisions). In addition, the President can place any item he deems to be "urgent" on the agenda and order extraordinary sessions.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
The quorum for a meeting is 2/3 of the ministers, and its decisions are taken by those present (voting by proxy is not allowed).{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
=== Sectarian representation controversies === There has been several controversies relating to sectarian groups and the power to topple the government. For example, in 2006, Hezbollah began mass demonstrations as all 5 Shiite and 1 Christian from resigned from the [[Lebanese government of July 2005|24 member cabinet]] (2 short of the 1/3 needed to bring down the government) of Prime Minister [[Fouad Siniora]].<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111900442.html| title = Hezbollah Threatens Protests to Topple Lebanese Government| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> This meant that there was effectively no Shiite representation in the Cabinet and a Christian majority. Nevertheless, the government continued to function for another 2 years until incumbent President [[Emile Lahoud|Emile Lahoud's]] term ended in 2008.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
==Cabinet of February 2025==
{| width="90%" border="0" align="center" cellpadding=1 cellspacing=1 style="margin:2px; border:3px solid;" |colspan=4 style="text-align:center; background:#efefef"|'''Lebanese Government of February 2025''' |- !width="35%" style="border-bottom:1px solid; background:#efefef;"|'''Portfolio (ministry)''' !width="20%" style="border-bottom:1px solid; background:#efefef;"|'''Minister''' !width="25%" style="border-bottom:1px solid; background:#efefef;"|'''Political affiliation''' !width="20%" style="border-bottom:1px solid; background:#efefef;"|'''Religious affiliation''' |- |colspan=4 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef"|'''[[Nawaf Salam|Prime Minister Shares]] (9/24)''' |- |[[Prime Minister of Lebanon|Prime Minister]]|| [[Nawaf Salam]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] |- |[[Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon|Deputy Prime Minister]]|| [[Tarek Mitri]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch|Greek Orthodox]] |- |[[Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (Lebanon)|Minister of Interior and Municipalities]]|| [[Ahmad al-Hajjar]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] |- |[[Ministry of Education and Higher Education (Lebanon)|Minister of Education and Higher Learning]]|| [[Rima Karami]] ||{{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] |- |[[Ministry of Economy and Trade (Lebanon)|Minister of Economy and Trade]]|| [[Amer Bisat]] ||{{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] |- |[[Ministry of Social Affairs (Lebanon)|Minister of Social Affairs]]|| [[Hanin Sayyed]] ||{{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Sunni Islam in Lebanon|Sunni]] |- |[[Ministry of Culture (Lebanon)|Minister of Culture]]|| [[Ghassan Salame]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Melkite Christianity in Lebanon|Greek Catholic]] |- |[[Ministry of Tourism (Lebanon)|Minister of Tourism]]|| [[Laura Khazen Lahoud]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronite]] |- |Minister of Administrative Development || [[Fadi Makki]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] |- | colspan="4" style="text-align:center;background:#efefef" |'''[[Joseph Aoun|Presidential Share]] (3/24)''' |- |[[Ministry of National Defense (Lebanon)|Minister of Defense]]|| [[Michel Menassa]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch|Greek Orthodox]] |- |[[Ministry of Information (Lebanon)|Minister of Information]]|| [[Paul Morcos]] || {{color box|grey|border=silver}} [[Independent Politician|Independent]] || [[Melkite Christianity in Lebanon|Greek Catholic]] |- |[[Ministry of Telecommunications (Lebanon)|Minister of Telecommunications]]|| [[Charles el-Hajj]] || {{color box|red|border=silver}} [[Lebanese Forces]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1447134/political-anatomy-of-the-salam-government.html|title=Political anatomy of the Salam government|date=9 February 2025|website=L'Orient Today}}</ref> || [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronite]] |- |colspan=4 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef"|'''[[Lebanese Forces|Strong Republic Bloc Share]] (4/24)''' |- |[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants (Lebanon)|Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants]]|| [[Youssef Rajji]] || {{color box|red|border=silver}} [[Lebanese Forces]] || [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronite]] |- |[[Ministry of Industry (Lebanon)|Minister of Industry]]|| [[Joe Issa el-Khoury]] || {{color box|red|border=silver}} [[Lebanese Forces]] || [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronite]] |- |[[Ministry of Energy and Water (Lebanon)|Minister of Energy and Water]]|| [[Joe Saddi]] || {{color box|red|border=silver}} [[Lebanese Forces]] || [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch|Greek Orthodox]] |- |Minister of Displaced || rowspan="2" | [[Kamal Shehadi]] || rowspan="2" | {{color box|red|border=silver}} [[Lebanese Forces]] || rowspan="2" | [[Minorities (Lebanon)|Protestant]] |- |State Minister for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence |- | colspan="4" style="text-align:center;background:#efefef" |'''[[Kataeb Party|Kataeb Bloc Share]] (1/24)''' |- |[[Ministry of justice (lebanon) |Minister of Justice]]|| [[Adel Nassar]] || {{color box|green|border=silver}} [[Kataeb Party]] || [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronite]] |- |colspan=4 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef"|'''[[Progressive Socialist Party|Democratic Gathering Bloc Share]] (2/24)''' |- |Minister of Public Works and Transport || [[Fayez Rasamny]] || {{color box|darkred|border=silver}} [[Progressive Socialist Party]] || [[Druze]] |- |[[Ministry of Agriculture (Lebanon)|Minister of Agriculture]]|| [[Nizar Hani]] || {{color box|darkred|border=silver}} [[Progressive Socialist Party]] || [[Druze]] |- |colspan=4 style="text-align: center;background:#efefef"|'''[[Development and Liberation|Development and Liberation Bloc Share]] (2/24)''' |- |[[Ministry of Finance (Lebanon)|Minister of Finance]]|| [[Yassine Jaber]] || {{color box|green|border=silver}} [[Amal Movement]] || [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] |- |[[Ministry of Environment (Lebanon)|Minister of Environment]]|| [[Tamara el-Zein]] || {{color box|green|border=silver}} [[Amal Movement]] || [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] |- |colspan=4 style="text-align:center;background:#efefef"|'''[[Hezbollah|Loyalty to Resistance Bloc Share]] (2/24)''' |- |[[Ministry of Public Health (Lebanon)|Minister of Public Health]]|| [[Rakan Nasreddine]] || {{color box|yellow|border=silver}} [[Hezbollah]] || [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] |- |[[Ministry of Labour (Lebanon)|Minister of Labour]]|| Mohammad Haidar || {{color box|yellow|border=silver}} [[Hezbollah]] || [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shia]] |- | colspan="4" style="text-align:center;background:#efefef" |'''[[Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Lebanon|Tashnag Bloc Share]] (1/24)''' |- |[[Ministry of Youth and Sports (Lebanon)|Minister of Youth and Sports]]|| [[Nora Bayrakdarian]] || {{color box|#c00|border=silver}} [[Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Lebanon|Tashnag Party]] || [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Orthodox]] |- |}
==See also== *[[List of Cabinets of Lebanon]]
== Notes == {{Reflist|group=nb}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Include-USGov |agency=Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/lebanon-constitutional-law.php}}
{{Governments of Lebanon}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:President Of Lebanon}} [[Category:Politics of Lebanon]] [[Category:Cabinets of Lebanon| ]]