Lebanon’s government wins confidence vote ahead of Aoun’s visit to Saudi Arabia
The Lebanese parliament gave their backing to the new government's ministerial statement, which excluded acknowledgement of Hezbollah, days before President Aoun is set to visit Saudi Arabia.
Lebanon’s 128-member parliament voted in confidence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government on Wednesday, just days before Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is set to visit Saudi Arabia — his first foreign trip since taking office.
What happened: The vote saw the government receive 95 votes of confidence, 12 votes of no confidence and four abstentions, while the Strong Lebanon bloc, a part of the Hezbollah-allied Free Patriotic Movement, withdrew from the parliamentary session, according to Lebanon’s LBCI.
The cabinet needed a simple majority of the parliament to endorse its ministerial statement — a document outlining the goals and priorities of the government — before it could pass legislation or make certain government appointments. The parliament's vote of confidence marks the first such successful vote since 2021.
Prime Minister Salam gave a speech during the two-day parliamentary deliberations, in which he stressed, among other things, Lebanon's sovereignty; the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which outlines a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah; and the boosting of Lebanon's economy.
