PM Nawaf Salam's vision: A government to enforce the full Taif Agreement

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Lebanon's next parliamentary elections are expected to take place in May 2026.

What Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meant by calling his government a "foundational government" is that it will be responsible for fully implementing the Taif Agreement, which was signed in Saudi Arabia in 1989. 

This time, the agreement would be enforced entirely after successive local authorities manipulated its terms under international watch.

The failure to implement the Taif Agreement is tied to several factors, chief among them Syria's complete control over Lebanon from 1989 until its withdrawal in 2005. This control allowed Damascus to manipulate the structure of Lebanon's parliament, as Salam pointed out. 

The number of parliamentary seats was increased from 108 to 128, securing additional seats that cemented Syria's influence in the country.

However, Syria's grip on the agreement did not emerge in a vacuum. A significant international development occurred after the accord was signed in 1989, marking the beginning of Lebanon's post-war state-building phase. On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

The United States responded by forming an international military coalition to liberate Kuwait, asking several Arab nations, including Syria, to participate. 

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad joined the coalition, and in return, Washington allowed him to exert control over Lebanon.

This marked the turning point when the Taif Agreement was effectively overturned, and Syria became Lebanon's de facto ruler. This status remained until the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. 

Syria's military subsequently withdrew from Lebanon, ushering in a new phase for the country. 

However, successive Lebanese governments disregarded the Taif Agreement and prioritized their own interests over both the nation's stability and the agreement itself.

This pattern continued until the Doha Agreement of 2008, which dealt another blow to the Taif Accord by introducing the obstructing third in the cabinet and reinforcing the 1960 electoral law for parliamentary elections.

Today, significant developments within Lebanon and across the Middle East present an opportunity to create real change by returning to the Taif Agreement and restoring the state's authority. 

Prime Minister Salam emphasized this—adhering to the constitution and fully implementing the Taif Accord. Moreover, unlike in the past, Salam and his government now have international backing.