Since gaining independence in 1943, Lebanon has witnessed the formation of 78 governments, with the most recent announced on Saturday under the leadership of Nawaf Salam. This marks the first government of President Joseph Aoun’s tenure.

Government Formations Under Different Presidents

Lebanon’s first post-independence president, Bechara El Khoury, oversaw the formation of 15 governments. Under former President Camille Chamoun, 12 governments were established, followed by 7 under Fouad Chehab, 10 under Charles Helou, 7 under Suleiman Frangieh, 3 under Elias Sarkis, 3 under Amine Gemayel, 6 under Elias Hrawi, 6 under Émile Lahoud, 4 under Michel Sleiman, and 4 under Michel Aoun.

Three Types of Governments

Over the past 82 years, Lebanon has experienced three distinct types of governments:

• Political governments: 47 cabinets composed entirely of politicians.
• Mixed governments: 22 administrations combining politicians and technocrats.
• Technocratic governments: 9 governments made up solely of technocrats, including the newly formed government.

Cabinet Sizes and Trends

According to research by the consultancy firm Information International, the most common cabinet size in Lebanon has been 10 ministers, a structure seen in 16 different governments. Additionally, 14 cabinets comprised 8 ministers, while 12 featured 30 ministers, indicating that most Lebanese governments have been of medium to large size.

Researcher Mohammad Chamseddine from Information International told Asharq Al-Awsat that the expansion or reduction of a government is largely dictated by political and sectarian considerations. "The number of ministers increases when there is an intention to represent most parliamentary blocs, leading to larger governments. Conversely, when the presidency holds significant parliamentary weight, the government is often smaller," he explained.

Legal Framework and Adjustments

Chamseddine also noted that "the legally defined number of ministries is 24. To accommodate additional members, state ministers are added to the cabinet. If the prime minister wishes to appoint more than 24 ministers, this is done through a government formation decree, which establishes new ministerial portfolios such as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Women’s Affairs, Displaced Persons, and Anti-Corruption."

"If a smaller government is formed, ministers take on multiple portfolios," he added.

Lebanon’s Smallest Governments

Lebanon’s three smallest governments in history each comprised only three ministers—the prime minister and two others. In September 1952, Nazem Akkari led a government with just two ministers. Shortly afterward, Saeb Salam formed a similar three-member cabinet. Fouad Chehab also presided over a government with only two ministers. However, these governments were short-lived, lasting between 10 and 15 days.

In 1958, Rachid Karami formed a four-member government that lasted a full year before additional ministers were appointed.

Expanded Governments After the Taif Agreement

Following the 1989 Taif Agreement, Lebanon saw the formation of 20 expanded governments, 12 of which included 30 ministers. The most recent of these was established by Saad Hariri in 2019, incorporating six newly created ministerial portfolios.