The Cabinet will hold its penultimate session tomorrow, Thursday, at 9:30 AM at the Presidential Palace, chaired by President Michel Aoun, with 49 items on the agenda. Ministerial sources told "Al-Jomhouria" that the agenda is free of any administrative appointments or significant issues, which appear to be postponed until the final session next Thursday, the 19th of the month. Instead, it focuses on a set of financial items concerning the transfer of budget allocations for several ministries and public institutions, particularly the Higher Defense Council, prisons, and the army, amounting to hundreds of millions of Lebanese pounds.
Additionally, a financial advance of 90 billion pounds is requested for the Ministry of Finance to settle dues for lawyers, accountants, international consultants, and subscriptions to the World Health Organization. A draft decree is also included to legalize the renewal of Lebanese passports for those abroad, specifically for participants in the parliamentary elections for settlement purposes.
The agenda also includes a request for approval of a draft specifications document to launch a bidding process for postal services and related documents. The Council for Development and Reconstruction seeks to extend the contract with the contractor for operating and maintaining the university city in Hadath, while the Ministry of Interior requests a doubling of the fees for doctors, nurses, and radiology technicians assigned to work inside Lebanese prisons, alongside various administrative and financial issues pertaining to certain public institutions and security and administrative sectors.
Furthermore, the agenda lists several requests for approval of various technical and judicial cooperation agreements, protection for literary and artistic works, acceptance of various grants, and participation in some international and UN conferences. However, monitoring circles indicated to "Al-Liwaa" that there is an ongoing study of options, notably since any appointment that may be issued will be the subject of criticism ahead of the parliamentary elections and the government's transition to caretaker status. Nonetheless, some believe there is no issue with making a necessary appointment, provided it is not perceived as provocative, leaving the matter to the decision-makers.
Political sources also informed "Al-Liwaa" that the government may resort to addressing urgent appointments in its last two sessions, for which files have recently been prepared. However, they noted that this matter is pending final resolution, or what is commonly referred to as consensus, emphasizing that such appointments would not be a source of divergence.
