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3. Cabinet Appoints Karim Souhaid as Governor of Lebanon's Central Bank

The Council of Ministers appointed a new governor for Lebanon’s Central Bank on Thursday, more than a year and a half after the former governor, Riad Salameh, had retired.

Karim Souhaid became the new head of the central bank, or BDL, following a vote in which he secured the support of 17 ministers out of 24. The Cabinet resorted to voting instead of agreement on a candidate, due to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s opposition to Souhaid’s nomination. As a result, President Joseph Aoun had to exercise his right to hold a vote.

Ministers close to the Lebanese Forces, Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party, the Kataeb Party as well as those aligned with the President, voted in favor of Souhaid. Whereas Salam, his deputy Tarek Mitri, Minister of Culture Ghassan Salameh, Minister of Social Affairs Hanine Sayyed, Minister of Interior Ahmad Hajjar, Minister of Economy Amer Bsat and Minister of Education Rima Karameh abstained.

Following the Cabinet session presided by Aoun at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Information Minister Paul Morcos outlined the key decisions made during the meeting.

He said President Aoun confirmed that the Interior Minister is proceeding with preparations to hold municipal elections as scheduled in May, and that security appointments, including those of Military Council members, will be finalized soon.

In the education sector, the Cabinet approved the cancellation of the Brevet exams for 2025. Instead, students will receive a school certificate.

Regarding international cooperation, the government endorsed an amendment and extension — until December — of an agreement with the World Bank for reconstruction and development. Furthermore, the Cabinet validated a mechanism proposed by the international financial institution to prioritize areas eligible for emergency support.

On the judicial front, several key appointments were confirmed. Judge Jamal Hajjar was officially appointed as Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Ayman Oueidat was named President of the Judicial Inspection Authority and Youssef el-Gemayel was appointed President of the State Council.

Finally, the Minister of Information addressed the issue of Télé Liban, stating that the institution is not subject to the current appointment mechanism. However, despite Morcos’ objection, the government deemed it preferable, in the interest of greater transparency, to apply the administrative appointment process to the public broadcaster.