The Cabinet of Hassan Diab was the executive council of the Government of Lebanon formed under Prime Minister Hassan Diab. It was sworn in on 10 September 2021 after the cabinet received a vote of confidence from the Lebanese Parliament.
Formation and context
- Following the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the wake of the 4 August 2020 Beirut port explosion, President Michel Aoun tasked Hassan Diab, an academic and former Minister of Education, with forming a new government.
- After several months of negotiations among Lebanon’s political factions, Diab presented his cabinet to the Parliament, where it secured a confidence vote of 81‑to‑12 in September 2021.
Composition
- The cabinet comprised 24 ministers, including four ministers without portfolio.
- It was presented as a largely technocratic government, with many portfolios assigned to figures described as independent or representing civil‑society backgrounds rather than traditional party affiliates.
- Key ministries and their initial holders included:
- Ministry of Finance – Ghazi Zahran (independent)
- Ministry of Economy and Trade – Hani Mahfoud (independent)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs – George Bouzari (independent)
- Ministry of Public Works and Transport – Raymond Koueikhi (independent)
- Ministry of Health – Abbas Rashid Moeini (independent)
Major issues and actions
- The Diab cabinet operated amid Lebanon’s severe economic crisis, marked by hyperinflation, a banking sector collapse, and widespread shortages of electricity, fuel, and basic goods.
- It faced public protests over perceived corruption, lack of reforms, and the slow implementation of the 2019 anti‑corruption protest demands.
- The government pursued negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial assistance package, though progress was hindered by political deadlock and public opposition.
Resignation
- After the parliamentary elections held on 15 May 2022, the Diab cabinet resigned in accordance with Lebanon’s constitutional practice that the government steps down following a general election. The resignation was submitted to President Michel Aoun on 29 June 2022, and the cabinet continued in a caretaker capacity until a new government was formed.
Legacy
- The Cabinet of Hassan Diab is noted for its technocratic composition and for governing during one of the most acute phases of Lebanon’s multifaceted crisis. Its limited tenure and the challenges it faced have been subjects of analysis in assessments of Lebanon’s political instability and economic collapse.
