Cabinet of Nawaf Salam

Cabinet of Nawaf Salam
Cabinet of Lebanon
Nawaf Salam
Date formed	8 February 2025 (2025-02-08)
People and organisations
President	Joseph Aoun
Head of government	Nawaf Salam
Deputy head of government	Tarek Mitri
No. of ministers	24
Total no. of members	24
History
Predecessor	Third Cabinet of Najib Mikati

The new government of Lebanon was formed on 8 February 2025 ^[1] after the election of former ICJ president Nawaf Salam as prime minister of Lebanon on 13 January. Salam's cabinet succeeded Najib Mikati's third cabinet, which had served in a caretaker capacity since May 2022. ^[2]

Election

In the wake of the election of Joseph Aoun as president of Lebanon on 9 January 2025, multiple opposition MPs reached a consensus on nominating Salam as Prime Minister. ^[3] His candidacy is supported by many Western and Arab states, who call for his nomination, against current caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati. The Hezbollah-led alliance backed Najib Mikati to maintain his premiership. ^[4] Other candidates included Fouad Makhzoumi, who initially had the backing of opposition MPs, former Interior Minister Ashraf Rifi and Beirut MP Ibrahim Mneimneh. ^[5] On 13 January 2025, Salam was nominated by 84 out of 128 MPs, making him the Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon. ^[6] MPs from the Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party, the National Compatibility Bloc, Tashnag, the Renewal Bloc, Islamic Group and the opposition nominated Salam, while MPs from Hezbollah and Amal did not nominate anyone as they were last to announce their vote while Salam had an absolute majority. ^[7]

Hezbollah lawmakers attempted to postpone the election as they saw the momentum building behind Salam; this was rejected by Joseph Aoun. According to a source to Reuters, Hezbollah believed a political understanding had been reached on Mikati's election before the group agreed to elect Aoun the previous week. ^[8] Hezbollah's parliamentary leader Mohammad Raad stated that Hezbollah "extended its hand" by helping to secure Aoun's election only to find the "hand cut off" accusing the opposition of fragmentation and exclusion from power in Lebanon. ^[9] Salam and Aoun's election is seen as a manifestation of Iran's and Hezbollah's diminished influence in Lebanese politics, partly due to Hezbollah's losses in the recent conflict with Israel and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. ^{[10] [11]} On 26 February 2025, Lebanon's government of Nawaf Salam won a confidence vote in parliament. ^[12]

Composition

Lebanese Government of February 2025
Portfolio (ministry)	Minister	Political affiliation	Religious affiliation
Presidential Share (5/24)
Minister of Defense	Michel Menassa	Independent	Greek Orthodox
Minister of Information	Paul Morcos	Independent	Greek Catholic
Minister of Tourism	Laura Khazen Lahoud	Independent	Maronite
Minister of Telecommunications	Charles el-Hajj	Lebanese Forces Affiliated [13]	Maronite
State Minister of Administrative Development	Fadi Makki	Independent	Shia
Prime Minister Shares (7/24)
Prime Minister	Nawaf Salam	Independent	Sunni
Deputy Prime Minister	Tarek Mitri	Independent	Greek Orthodox
Minister of Interior and Municipalities	Ahmad al-Hajjar	Independent	Sunni
Minister of Social Affairs	Hanine Sayyed	Independent	Sunni
Minister of Education and Higher Learning	Rima Karami	Independent	Sunni
Minister of Economy and Trade	Amer Bisat	Independent	Sunni
Minister of Culture	Ghassan Salame	Independent	Greek Catholic
Strong Republic Bloc Share (4/24)
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants	Youssef Rajji	Lebanese Forces	Maronite
Minister of Industry	Joe Issa el-Khoury	Lebanese Forces	Maronite
Minister of Energy and Water	Joe Saddi	Lebanese Forces	Greek Orthodox
Minister of Displaced	Kamal Shehadi	Lebanese Forces	Protestant
State Minister for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Democratic Gathering Bloc Share (2/24)
Minister of Public Works and Transport	Fayez Rasamny	Progressive Socialist Party	Druze
Minister of Agriculture	Nizar Hani	Progressive Socialist Party	Druze
Kataeb Bloc Share (1/24)
Minister of Justice	Adel Nassar	Kataeb Party	Maronite
Tashnag Bloc Share (1/24)
Minister of Youth and Sports	Nora Bayrakdarian	Tashnag Party	Armenian Orthodox
Development and Liberation Bloc Share (2/24)
Minister of Finance	Yassine Jaber	Amal Movement	Shia
Minister of Environment	Tamara el-Zein	Amal Movement	Shia
Loyalty to Resistance Bloc Share (2/24)
Minister of Public Health	Rakan Nasreddine	Hezbollah	Shia
Minister of Labour	Mohammad Haidar	Hezbollah	Shia

Major actions

Since established, the cabinet of Nawaf Salam is leading a path for comprehensive reforms in order to restore citizens' trust in the Lebanese state. ^[14] These reforms aim to remove Lebanon from FATF's grey list, a move that will enable it to receive the financial aid it needs to reconstruct the country's economy. ^{[15] [16] [17]}

Economic & financial reform

Banking secrecy reform

On April 2025 the Lebanese parliament approved a new law changing the rules on banking secrecy. It now allows certain groups, like independent auditors and financial regulators, to see banking records from the past 10 years. This is important for fighting corruption and meeting the requirements of the IMF. ^{[18] [19]}

Central bank leadership change

After nearly two years without a permanent central bank chief, Karim A. Souaid was appointed as governor of Banque du Liban. ^{[20] [21]} He stated he will help fight money laundering, restore order to the banking system and keep depositors' money safe. ^{[22] [23]}

Ban on Hezbollah linked finances

On July 14, 2025, Banque du Liban, had issued a circular prohibiting all licensed financial institutions from engaging in any direct or indirect dealings with Al‑Qard Al‑Hassan, Hezbollah’s Iran backed financial arm, that is subject to U.S. sanctions. ^{[24] [25]}

IMF and World Bank engagement

In April 2025, a Lebanese delegation participated in the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., where it presented a unified reform vision aimed at addressing Lebanon’s protracted financial and economic crisis. ^[26] Following the meetings, Lebanon secured a $250 million loan from the World Bank to alleviate its chronic electricity shortages. ^[26] The funds will be used to improve electricity bill collection and invest in solar energy projects, potentially saving $40 million annually. This initiative is part of a broader $1 billion reconstruction program, with preliminary approval to increase the loan to $400 million. ^{[27] [28]}

State authority over arms

“Homeland Shield”

On 5 September 2025, the cabinet lead by Nawaf Salam, met to review the Lebanese army Homeland Shield Plan for weapon control presented by General Rodolphe Haykal, that focuses on the disarmament of Hezbollah. ^{[29] [30]} This decision has a strong international support of the U.S., Saudi Arabia and France. ^{[29] [31] [32]}

Army deployment and operational progress

Since the establishment of the new cabinet, The Lebanese Army has a significant presence in Southern Lebanon, and has according to reports, dismantled more than 500 Hezbollah sites. ^[33]

See also

• Homeland Shield Plan
• Disarmament of Hezbollah

References

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2. Bassam, Laila; Perry, Tom; Williams, Alison (2025-01-13). "Lebanon's Salam wins backing of enough MPs to be named PM, political sources say". Reuters .
3. "الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام - Makhzoumi withdraws from premiership race in favor of Nawaf Salam". National News Agency. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
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5. "Makhzoumi backed by the opposition, Rifi and Mneimneh announce their candidacies for premiership". L'Orient Today. 2025-01-12. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
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9. "Hezbollah lawmaker says Lebanese opponents are working to exclude the group". Reuters. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
10. Todman, Will (2025-01-10). "Lebanon Finally Elects a President". csis.org. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
11. Bassam, Laila (14 January 2025). "PM-designate Salam extends hand to Hezbollah, aims to rebuild Lebanon". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
12. "Lebanon's government wins confidence vote in Parliament". Al Arabiya English. 26 February 2025.
13. https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1447134/political-anatomy-of-the-salam-government.html
14. "Lebanons PM Nawaf Salam pushes reforms, vows Resolution 1701 implementation, and rejects deposit write-offs: The details". LBCIV7. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
15. "Client Challenge". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
16. Azhari, Timour; Brice, Makini; Brice, Makini (2024-10-25). "Watchdog FATF places Lebanon on financial crime watchlist". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
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24. "Lebanon's central bank bans transactions with Hezbollah financial affiliate". Arab News. 2025-07-15. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
25. Azhari, Timour; Bassam, Laila (2025-07-15). "Lebanon bans dealing with Hezbollah financial entity". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
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28. "Lebanon gets $250 million World Bank loan to ease electricity crisis". AP News. 2025-04-24. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
29. "Lebanon cabinet welcomes army plan to disarm Hezbollah, no timeline given". Reuters. 2025-09-05. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
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31. "France hails Lebanon's decision to disarm Hezbollah". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
32. étrangères, Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires. "Lebanon – Government endorsement of the plan to restore a state monopoly on weapons (6 September 2025)". France Diplomacy - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
33. "Lebanese army making progress in displacing Hezbollah near Israeli border". 2025.