Lebanon’s Cabinet to fast-track key appointments, paving way for broader reforms — the details

Report by Nada Andraos, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

In Monday's session, the Lebanese Cabinet is expected to approve a mechanism for appointing members to regulatory bodies and boards of directors and filling vacancies in some key first-category positions.

According to LBCI, the mechanism will involve submitting resumes to the Civil Service Council through its website after the council publishes an announcement about vacant positions and their required qualifications.

A committee appointed by the Cabinet within the Civil Service Council, with the help of specialists and headed by the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, will review the applications, assess those that meet the requirements, and conduct interviews with eligible candidates.

The committee will then submit the approved candidates to the Cabinet through the relevant minister for a decision on the appointments.

Among the urgent appointments for regulatory bodies and boards of directors are the Electricity Regulatory Authority, Civil Aviation, Telecommunications, Food Safety, the Public Procurement Authority Board, the Council for Development and Reconstruction, and the Investment Development Authority, among others.

In Monday's Cabinet session, this mechanism will be approved with the aim of implementing it as soon as possible, sending a clear signal that Lebanon is beginning to implement the reforms required by both Arab and international stakeholders. 

These reforms are a key condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for any agreement with Lebanon.

The appointment mechanism, to be approved by the government on Monday, will allow urgent appointments to be made in a short period of time, followed by filling vacancies in all state institutions.

In parallel, efforts are underway to prepare a plan for restructuring the public sector—not only in terms of its size but also with a study of salaries and wages, as well as the nature of the jobs, with the goal of eliminating outdated positions and creating new ones that align with modern governance systems, digital transformation, and the shift toward an e-government.