Lebanon - January 2025

On 9 January, the Lebanese parliament elected Joseph Aoun as president, ending a political deadlock of two years in which the country had been without a president. On 13 January, Aoun appointed Nawaf Salam, then President of the International Court of Justice, as prime minister, with 84 out of 128 MPs approving the designation. This development ends over two years of political impasse that stalled the presidential and prime ministerial elections and left Lebanon under a caretaker government with limited powers. PM Salam now faces the challenge of forming a new cabinet amid reports of persisting political fragmentation and external pressure over key ministerial appointments. The next parliamentary elections are expected to take place in 2026.

Sources: L’Orient Le Jour, Al Arabiya, Reuters, Al Jazeera, LBCI