Government lineup
full of PhDs and experts

Political parties represented partially and indirectly including 5 women

Government lineup and brief profiles of ministers:

Nawaf Salam Prime Minister
Diplomat, jurist and academic. He holds three doctorates, including a Doctorate of State in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and a Doctorate in History from the Sorbonne University, in addition to an LLM from Harvard University. He served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations between 2007 and 2017, where he presided the Security Council. He was Chief Justice at the International Court of Justice.

Tarek Mitri Deputy Prime Minister
Academic and politician with extensive experience in public affairs. He was previously Minister of Culture, Information, Administrative Development and Environment, and was also appointed Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served the UN Secretary-General as Special Representative in Libya. He has a distinguished academic career, having worked as a professor at several universities and serves as President of Saint George University in Beirut.

Yassin Jaber Minister of Finance
Politician and businessman. He has extensive experience in financial and legislative affairs. He served as a member of Parliament for long periods and was one of its prominent figures. He also held the portfolio of Minister of Economy and Trade. During his parliamentary career, he chaired and participated in parliamentary committees concerned with finance and economy, which enhanced his experience in formulating economic and financial policies. Jaber is known for his extensive political relations and his knowledge of the details of the economic situation.

Ghassan Salameh Minister of Culture
Thinker and academic with an international reputation in politics and culture. He is a professor of political science at the Sorbonne University in France, and previously served as Minister of Culture. He served the UN Secretary-General as Special Representative in Libya. He is known for his intellectual contributions and writings on Middle Eastern issues, in addition to his practical experience in international diplomacy. He has founded AFAC, an association to support the arts in the Middle East.

Fadi Makki Minister of State for Administrative Development Affairs
Leading expert in the field of behavioral economics and modern public administration and formerly Director General of the Ministry of Economy. He is a Partner and Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he helps lead the firm’s Behavioral Science Lab to apply behavioral economics principles to policy. He is the founder of the Lebanese Behavioral Economics Association (Nudge Lebanon), which has launched several initiatives to push government departments towards adopting behavioral analysis-based policies and catalyzing positive change. He created innovative platforms such as the Consumer Citizen Lab and B4Development to integrate behavioral science into development projects. He has a PhD from Cambridge University.

Kamal Shehadeh Minister of Displaced Persons and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence. Legal and technical expert who combines knowledge in the field of telecommunications and regulatory legislation. He headed the Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Emirates Telecommunications Group (Etisalat), where he was responsible for setting regulatory policies and ensuring the company’s compliance with legal standards in the telecommunications sector. He was the head of the Telecommunication Regulatory Agency.

Ahmad Al-Hajjar Minister of Interior and Municipalities
Retired Army Brigadier General. Expert in the structure of the security services.

Michel Menassa Minister of Defense
Retired army officer, formerly Inspector General at the Ministry of Defense, where he supervised oversight and auditing of military institutions. A long-standing military background and knowledge of the defense system.

Tamara El Zein Minister of Environment
Scientist and administrator specializing in the field of environment, with a track record in scientific research management. She is Secretary General of the National Council for Scientific Research, where she leads scientific research policies and oversees national programs in various fields including environment and sustainable development. She is Chair of the Science Committee at the UNESCO General Conference, a senior official who contributes to guiding science strategies at the global level. PhD in physics, she has published scientific research in prestigious international journals.

Nora Bayrakdarian Minister of Youth and Sports
Academic and educator with distinguished experience in the field of international relations and higher education. She is a professor of international relations and head of the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the Lebanese University.

Amer Bisat Minister of Economy and Trade
Economist and specialist in global financial markets. He holds a PhD in Economics from Columbia University in New York, and a BA in Economics from AUB, which gives him a strong academic background in economic analysis. He served as the Chief Economist of the IMF and participated in designing economic reform programs for several countries. He has also managed investment portfolios at global financial institutions, and is currently the Head of the Emerging Markets Department at BlackRock.

Charles Hajj Minister of Telecommunication
Former President of the ‘Maronite Foundation in the Diaspora’, an organization concerned with communicating with Lebanese expatriates around the world. Through this role, he gained experience in project management and strengthening ties with Lebanese communities abroad. Al-Hajj has organizational experience and a wide network of relationships.

Nizar Hani Minister of Agriculture
Environmental and agricultural expert who serves as Director of the Shouf Cedar Reserve, one of the most important nature reserves. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences, which provides him with a solid scientific foundation in the fields of agriculture and environmental conservation. During his management of the Shouf Reserve, he worked on programs to protect biodiversity and develop the local communities surrounding the reserve. He has over 20 years of experience in natural resource management and environmental projects, which will help him develop the agricultural sector and promote sustainable rural development.

Mohammed Haidar Minister of Labor
Physician and administrator who moved from the health sector to the field of public service. He has been the Head of the Nuclear Medicine Department at AUBMC for years, where he has supervised the development of this technical medical department and managed a team of doctors and specialists. He has participated in health and advisory committees related to the organization of the health and education sectors in Lebanon.

Joe Issa El Khoury Minister of Industry
Investment banker and advisor. Secretary General ‘Ittihadion’, a group that advocates federalism.
Senior investment advisor to the Mikari family and group. Board member is companies controlled by Saradar Group.

Rima Karami Minister of Education and Higher Education
Education expert and university professor specializing in education policy and management. She is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Education at AUB, where she teaches courses in educational administration and educational leadership. Rima leads the regional project ‘TAMAM’, an initiative to improve schools sustainably in the Arab world, working with teams of educators to develop school leaders and enhance teacher professional development. Her research focuses on school leadership and educational policies in the Arab world.

Laura Lahoud Minister of Tourism
Well-known figure in the tourism and cultural fields, belonging to a family with a long history in hospitality banking and engineering. She is the chairperson of the Bustan International Festival, one of the prominent music festivals in Lebanon that annually attracts international musical groups and artists. Through her management of this festival for years, she has gained experience in organizing and promoting tourism and cultural events locally and internationally. Laura has a wide network of relationships in the cultural and tourism circles, and has contributed to enhancing Lebanon’s cultural image on the global level.

Paul Morcos Minister of Information
Lawyer and human rights specialist with experience in the legal and media fields. Co-founder and President of Justicia Organization for Development and Human Rights, which promotes the rule of law, combat corruption, and spreads legal culture. He is an appellate lawyer and specialist in the banking field, as the head of the Studies and Banking Affairs Committee at the Beirut Bar Association. Lecturer at USJ.

Adel Nassar Minister of Justice
Lawyer and advisor with a long career in the legal field. He has been a partner at the law firm Raphaël & Associés in Beirut. He represents Lebanon on the International Arbitration Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce.

Rakan Nassereddine Minister of Public Health
Vascular surgeon at AUB Medical Center (AUBMC) where he led medical teams and treated complex cases. He is active in academic and research, has published medical research and contributed to the training of surgeons. He combines medical and administrative experience.

Youssef Rajji Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants
Veteran career diplomat. He held positions in a number of Lebanese embassies around the world, the last of which is Ambassador to Jordan.

Fayez Rasamny Minister of Public Works and Transport
CEO of Rasamny Younis Motor Company (RYMCO), one of the largest car trading and manufacturing companies in Lebanon. Through his leadership of this well-established family business, he has gained experience in management, investment and marketing in the transportation sector and its services.

Joe Saddi Minister of Energy and Water
More than 25 years of experience in management and strategic consulting. He held leadership positions at Booz & Company, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company in the Middle East between, and before that he was Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Haneen Sayed Minister of Social Affairs
Expert in human development and social policies. Program manager at the World Bank specializing in social protection and development, and led the Bank’s efforts in responding to the economic crisis in Lebanon through programs to support the poorest households and strengthen social safety nets. She has an academic background in economics or development, in addition to field experience in designing and implementing social projects.