Council of Ministers of Lebanon

The Council of Ministers of Lebanon (Arabic: مجلس الوزراء اللبناني, romanized: Majlis al-wozarah al-Lubnanī) is the main group that helps run the country of the Republic of Lebanon. The leader of this group is called the Prime Minister of Lebanon. All the leaders, or ministers, in this group are chosen by a special order from the president of Lebanon. This order must also be signed by the prime minister. Before they can start working, the new group must get approval from the Parliament of Lebanon.

The Lebanese constitution, in Article 95, says that the Council of Ministers must follow two important rules. First, it must have the same number of ministers from Muslim and Christian groups. Second, all the different groups in Lebanon must be treated fairly when choosing who gets to be a minister.

Because of these rules, the Council of Ministers is what the Constitution calls the “government” of Lebanon. It is the group that makes many of the important decisions for the country.

History

The Council of Ministers of Lebanon was created on May 23, 1926, when the Constitution of Greater Lebanon was announced. At first, the Constitution didn’t say much about what the Council did, except that the President could choose one of the ministers to be Prime Minister.

After the Lebanese Civil War ended and the Ta'if Accord was agreed upon, the Council’s jobs became much clearer and stronger. The accord moved many important powers from the President to the Council.

Formation of a Government

The Council of Ministers in Lebanon is created by a special order from the President, which the Prime Minister also signs. Within 30 days, the group that represents the people must agree to support the new government by voting for it. The Prime Minister leads the talks with this group to help form the government.

Usually, the government includes an equal number of people from Muslim and Christian backgrounds, though this is not a strict rule in the Constitution. If the Prime Minister leaves or passes away, or if many members of the government change, the government is seen as ending. Also, a new president or a new term for the group that represents the people can cause the government to end, or if that group votes against the government. The President can also decide to end the term of the Prime Minister.

When a government ends or has not yet been approved, it can only handle basic tasks. This is also true when the President's term ends but a new president has not yet been chosen. For example, this happened for two years after President Michel Suleiman left office in 2014, until Michel Aoun was elected on 31 October 2016, with Prime Minister Tammam Salam leading during that time.

Responsibilities and powers

The Council of Ministers in Lebanon helps run the country every day. It makes plans and prepares laws for the parliament to vote on. Each minister handles their own area, like education or health, and needs the signatures of the President and the Prime Minister for important decisions in their area.

When decisions affect the whole country, most of the ministers need to agree. For very important issues, like changing the constitution or making peace, more than half of the ministers must agree.

The Council also helps make laws, agrees when the President wants to end the parliament, and oversees the armed forces, though the President is the main leader of the country.

Meetings and quorum

The Prime Minister is the President of the Council of Ministers and leads its meetings. He calls ordinary meetings and can add urgent items to the agenda or order special sessions.

For a meeting to have enough members, at least two-thirds of the ministers must be present. Decisions are made by those who are there, and voting by proxy is not allowed.

Sectarian representation controversies

There have been debates about how different groups are represented in the government. For instance, in 2006, some members of the cabinet resigned, leading to discussions about representation until a new president took office in 2008.

Cabinet of February 2025

The Council of Ministers of Lebanon is the main group that helps run the country. The leader of this group is called the Prime Minister. All the members of this group, known as Ministers, are chosen by a special order from the President of Lebanon. This order must also be signed by the Prime Minister to be official.