Interior Ministry handover: Heavy responsibilities await new minister

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi 

In the Interior Ministry, the transition between former Minister Bassam Mawlawi and newly appointed Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar is more than just a formal exchange of files—it is a transfer of weighty responsibilities and pressing challenges.  

The handover ceremony is a routine event with every new government, but the urgent issues awaiting the new minister make this transition particularly critical. 

Amid a surge in thefts and violent crimes, restoring security and rebuilding trust in law enforcement and the judiciary are among the top priorities.  

Beyond security concerns, the ministry faces another major challenge: the upcoming municipal and mukhtars elections. Ensuring their proper organization requires more than administrative planning. The government must address financial hurdles, guarantee the integrity of the electoral process, and assess the state of municipalities that Lebanon's prolonged crises have severely impacted.  

Al-Hajjar steps into office with heightened expectations that the new government will adopt a results-driven approach, moving beyond rhetoric to concrete actions that restore public trust and reinforce citizens' confidence in the state.