Boycott Threatens Quorum: Lebanon's Thursday Cabinet Session Hangs in the Balance

A cabinet session requires securing a two-thirds quorum of the government members, which means the presence of 16 out of the total 24 ministers.

The caretaker government has previously held sessions, ensuring its quorum. However, this may not be the case for the Thursday session dedicated to discussing the developments in the financial and monetary situations as the term of Lebanon's central bank governor, Riad Salameh, nears its end. 

This is to avoid giving legitimacy to the session in case the appointment of a new governor or the extension of Salameh's term is brought up.

The number of boycotters is significant.

The six ministers affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement, including Caretaker Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar, who had participated in several sessions before, declared that they would not attend any government session related to extending the term of Riad Salameh or appointing a new governor.

Ministers Moustapha Bayram and Ali Hamieh of Hezbollah also joined the boycott of Thursday's session, reaffirming the party's refusal to make appointments under the caretaker government.

Ministers Ziad Makkari and Johnny Qorm of the Marada Movement joined the boycott for the first time. 

The Lebanese Democratic Party announced that its minister, Essam Sharafeddine, would also boycott the session.
Thus, with 11 ministers boycotting, the required quorum for holding a session to make decisions that require the approval of two-thirds of the government members cannot be achieved.