The Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon, Mustafa Adib, has returned the order for the formation of a new government. The state news agency NNA reported this today to Adib President Michel Aoun at a meeting in the Presidential Palace in Beirut. The formation of the government was delayed despite the severe economic crisis and the consequences of the explosion in the port of Beirut, with almost 200 dead.
The Lebanese government announced its resignation after the explosion on August 4, which left more than 190 dead and more than 6,000 injured. President Aoun then assigned 48-year-old Adib to form a government. Many government posts in Lebanon are assigned according to a proportional system among the various denominations. Adib wanted to assign key departments to experts and not take any denominations into account.
Lebanon has been suffering from one of the worst economic crises in its history for months. People took to the streets en masse against the government, in some cases riots broke out. The coronavirus pandemic and the explosion in Beirut have further exacerbated the situation. Negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support government finances in return for reforms stand still.
