Hariri and Aoun agree on a Cabinet of 18 ministers

Number is smaller than usual and prevents political parties from toppling the government

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra on December 19, 2019 shows Lebanese President Michel Aoun (L) meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the presidenShow more

Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and President Michel Aoun have agreed on a future Cabinet of 18 ministers, a number that is smaller than usual and would prevent political parties from toppling the government by distributing posts equally.

A Cabinet of 18 ministers means that no single political party controls more than six of the posts.

The agreement, which was announced on Wednesday and confirmed to The National by the presidential palace's press office, raises hopes for the Cabinet's formation in the near future in a country where it usually takes several months to satisfy the main religious communities.

Mr Hariri, 50, was designated on October 22, one year after he was forced to resign in the face of nationwide anti-government protests. He described his future premiership as the “last opportunity” to tackle the country’s worsening economic, social and political crises, and promised to set up a Cabinet quickly.

But Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said the agreement on a Cabinet of 18 ministers does not necessarily entail swift government formation.

"There are always last-minute hurdles. Last week, everybody was upbeat, and then came the question of Druze representation. [Iran-backed political party] Hezbollah eventually agreed to relinquish the health portfolio to the Druze," he told The National.

Mr Hariri, who has been prime minister three times, last formed a Cabinet in January last year that included 30 ministers. His successor Hassan Diab initially wanted 18 ministers, but caved at the last-minute to political pressure and agreed to increase their number to 20 after intense political pressure and back-door negotiations.

Mr Diab, an obscure university professor, stepped down after 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded at Beirut port, killing 204 people on August 4.

The local investigation has yet to pinpoint responsibility for what is widely viewed as an accident caused by the negligence of local authorities.

Mr Hariri pushed for a Cabinet of 18 ministers because in Lebanon, the government is automatically toppled if more than one third of its ministers resign. This happened to Mr Hariri in 2011, when Hezbollah forced the collapse of his government while he was in the United States on a visit to meet then President Barack Obama.

“The importance of having a large number [of ministers] is their ability to vote and block government decision,” said Mr Khashan. He expected Mr Hariri’s premiership to be difficult, he added.

“What really disturbs me is that one year after the uprising, we are back to square one. Hariri has returned after accommodating the parties that he condemned in the beginning, so nothing has happened. I don’t really expect smooth government transactions,” he said.

Protests, that have since died down, were spurred last year by the country’s economic collapse. More than half of Lebanese people live below the poverty line, the local currency has lost over 80 per cent of its value and banks have severely limited access to deposits.

Spearheaded by France, international donors refuse to bail-out Lebanon unless it implements reforms to fight corruption and increase transparency. But politicians have failed to deliver on their multiple promises to do so, and the central bank has resisted demands to hand over the necessary documents for an international audit.

“I don’t think Hariri is interested in transparency,” said Mr Khashan. “He’s part of the clique, part of the people who squandered the country’s assets.”