Learn the names of Lebanon's 24 ministers... Survivors in fields far from politics
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The Lebanese government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati includes 23 ministers, most of whom have not been involved in politics before, but a number of them are known for their successes in the economic, medical and media fields.
Although most of them do not openly belong to any political current, prominent parties and political leaders have nominated them for government membership, which makes them affiliated with them.
Confronting Corona The
Minister of Health, Firas Abyad, has been a gastroenterological surgeon at the American University of Beirut Medical Center since 2010. He chairs the Board of Directors of Rafic Hariri University Hospital, the government facility that led efforts to address the Covid-19 epidemic.
Abyad's popularity has increased since the outbreak of the epidemic in Lebanon, and his tweets about assessing the epidemiological situation and official efforts to contain the virus and his advice have become a reference for his followers and the media to rely on.
Graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut and holder of an MBA.
- Documenting the collapse,
Nasser Yassin, Minister of Environment, is a university professor and political activist. He took over the management of the Issam Fares Center for Public Policy and International Relations, after he was for years its director of research.
This year, he led the Crisis Observatory at the American University of Beirut, which documents the repercussions of the economic collapse on the daily lives of the Lebanese.
He holds a Master's degree in Population Sciences from the Lebanese American University and a Ph.D. in Planning Sciences from University College London.
- The only woman,
Minister of State for Administrative Development, Najla Al-Riyashi, the only woman in the Mikati government, an ambassador who held several diplomatic positions in Lebanon and abroad, most notably the permanent representative of Lebanon to the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva between 2007 and 2017.
She also held the position of Counselor at the Lebanese Embassy in the Vatican and the Knights of Malta.
She holds a degree in political and administrative sciences and a degree in history from Saint Joseph University in Beirut.
On social media, many criticized the appointment of one woman to the government, and one of the tweeters even considered that the government had become more like the government of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.
- Ambassador in Washington,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdullah Bou Habib, worked as Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States from 1983 until 1990. He founded the Issam Fares Research Center in 2007 and has been a university professor since 2007. He began his career at the World Bank in 1976 and took on several assignments, including senior Loan Officers in the Middle East and North Africa.
He holds a PhD in Economics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
- who will win the million?
Minister of Information George Kordahi, a veteran journalist who gained fame in Lebanon and the Arab world after presenting the “Who Will Win a Million?” program.
He began his journalistic career on Lebanon's official television in the seventies, and worked on several radio channels, including Radio Monte Carlo in Paris.
He holds a BA in Law and Political Science from the Lebanese University.
- From the Banque du Liban,
Minister of Finance, Youssef Khalil, director of monetary operations at the Banque du Liban, which he joined in 1982. He is also a professor of economics at the American University of Beirut.
Many consider him close to Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, whose monetary policies are criticized by several parties.
Khalil has contributed to the establishment of several development NGOs.
Economy and Energy
Minister of Economy Amin Salam and Energy and Water Walid Fayyad are two completely new faces that are not well known on the Lebanese scene.
According to the official Lebanese news agency, Salam is a lawyer in international law, as well as an economist.
According to his Twitter account, he appears to be based in Washington, and also presents himself as a political expert, especially on American affairs.
As for Energy Minister Walid Fayyad, he holds degrees, according to the same source, from American and French universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He held positions in several international companies, including the McKinsey Consulting Corporation, which in 2018 prepared a plan for economic advancement in Lebanon.
Fayyad has put, according to the agency, "a lot of strategies and policies in projects for multiple sectors, including energy and the environment."
- The rest of the ministers -
Deputy Prime Minister His Excellency Al-Shami - a former employee of the International Monetary Fund.
Minister of Education and Higher Education Abbas Halabi - former judge and Vice-President of the National Commission for UNESCO in Lebanon.
Minister of Justice Henri Khoury - former head of the State Council.
Minister of Youth and Sports George Kallas - Adviser and media expert.
Defense Minister Brigadier General Maurice Selim - former head of military medicine in the army until his retirement in 2012.
Minister of the Displaced Issam Sharaf El-Din Chehayeb - a pharmacist who founded a company for the manufacture of soap and cosmetics.
Minister of Social Affairs Hector El Hajjar - holder of a doctorate in dentistry and the founder of several humanitarian associations.
Minister of Industry George Bouchkian - Member of the Board of Directors of the Syndicate of Importers of Medical Equipment and Supplies in Lebanon.
Communications Minister Johnny Corm.
Minister of Tourism Walid Nassar - worked in the field of engineering and contracting in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi - Judge and President of the Criminal Court.
Minister of Culture, Mohamed Mortada - judge and lecturer.
Minister of Labor Mustafa Bayram - employee of the Audit Bureau of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Minister of Agriculture Abbas Hajj Hassan - a former journalist with a degree in political science and international relations.
Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Himiya - a lecturer at several universities.
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