Lebanon - October 2022

Fears of constitutional crisis as parliament fails to elect president

Prime Minister Najib Mikati and President Michel Aoun resumed consultations on cabinet formation after a pause that lasted several weeks but without a breakthrough. President Aoun’s mandate came to an end on 31 October, leaving behind a power vacuum as parliament failed to elect his successor on several occasions. Divisions remain among political blocs over the makeup of a new cabinet and without a president and limited caretaker government, Lebanon’s political crisis deepens. The continuing failure to form a new cabinet means crucial economic reforms (including lifting banking secrecy and addressing the plummeting exchange rate) remain unimplemented, raising the prospect of popular unrest.

Sources: Arab News, Al Arabiya, Middle East Monitor, Oman Observer, The Arab Weekly