Lebanon’s Governments After Taif: Timeline of Recurring Personalities

The government that is assigned to be formed by president Saad Hariri, will be the 20th government formed in Lebanon after the end of the civil war and the sign on the Taif Accords

The crisis of forming a new government in Lebanon has reached a dead end, due to the raging local political disputes that have prevented its formation for more than eight consecutive months.

Lebanon witnessed 20 governments since the end of the civil war, several presidents headed the Head of Council of Ministers. Before 2005, five governments were headed by President Rafik Hariri, two by President Salim El Hoss, two by President Omar Karami, and one government by President Rashif El Soleh

The following timeline shows the series of Lebanese Governments after the Taif Agreement:

As mentioned in the first figure, after 2005, and the assassination of President Rafik El Hariri, the Head of Council of Ministers witnessed new faces. These faces include President Najib Mikati, President Fouad Siniora, President Saad El Hariri, President Tammam Salam, and most recently President Hassan Diab in the latest government that resigned on the 10th of August, 2020, after the Explosion of Beirut’s Port.

As Figure 2 shows, among all the governments that Lebanon witnessed after the Taif Agreement, five governments resigned, three governments ended due to their terms, two governments due to Electing a new president for the Republic, whereby three governments ended due to electing a new Parliament.

Lebanon is awaiting the formation of its new government by Saad El Hariri who was assigned to form the new government.

The efforts to form the Lebanese government are going in a vicious circle, as no breach has been recorded, amid an additional crisis in the relationship between the Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

In a new meeting between Saad Hariri and the Russian President, on the issue of the governmental crisis in Lebanon, during which it was stressed the need to form the new government as soon as possible.

The discussion also touched on the prospects for cooperation between Lebanon and Russia in the field of combating the Corona pandemic and the possibility of Russia providing Lebanon with quantities of the necessary vaccine, as well as an understanding to continue research between the Russian and Lebanese sides to benefit from the Russian support for Lebanon in various fields and facilitate the ground for Russian companies to invest in Lebanon and companies. Lebanese investment in Russia.

The crises in Lebanon did not end with the entry into force of the Taif Agreement in 1990, after its ratification by the Lebanese parliament and the subsequent issuance of constitutional amendments.

In a clearer sense, the Lebanese system has become a prisoner of internal conflicts and the echoes of external conflicts, except that the balance of power in the country is no longer what it was in 1990.

The political crisis in Lebanon is intensifying at the pattern of an economic and livelihood deterioration that has been plaguing the Lebanese for almost two years, amid dangerous indications that the country is heading to a darker stage or something resembling “famine”, in light of an increasing shortage of basic commodities and a huge rise in prices that are linked to the rise in the currency exchange rate.