For the second time this year, Lebanon is forming a new government. The previous iteration, headed by the ill-fated Hassan Diab, lasted only six months before the 4 August Beirut port explosion shook the political elite to its core (MEES, 7 August).
On 31 August, President Michel Aoun tapped diplomat Mustapha Adib for the Prime Minister with widespread support from the political establishment. Mr Adib has now reached a “preliminary understanding” with Mr Aoun to form a small, technocratic cabinet that would without precedent exclude figures from the country’s political establishment – a nod to its culpability in the ongoing economic and governance crises. (CONTINUED - 846 WORDS)
