The new Lebanese government, headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, won the vote of confidence of Parliament on Monday on an economic program to end the crisis.
After an eight-hour plenary session, the cabinet gained confidence by 85 votes against 15, announced Parliament President Nabih Berri.
The program developed by Mikati, who took over the reign of the Lebanese government at the end of July, promises to resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and implement reforms demanded by donors in exchange for financial aid.
“We will start with the IMF; it is not a choice; it is something we have to go through,” Mikati said.
The new cabinet has taken over a financial recovery plan drawn up by the previous government, which estimates the hole in the country’s finances at some $90 billion (76 billion euros), a figure accepted by the IMF.
It will also have to prepare the ground for the legislative elections scheduled for May 2022.
Mired in an unprecedented economic crisis – described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the world since 1850 – Lebanon formed a new government on September 10, following 13 months of political negotiations.
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