Lebanon parliament approves additional funding for public sector salaries

BEIRUT, Lebanon

The Lebanese Parliament on Monday approved additional funding for paying salaries of public sector employees.

The move will ensure the disbursement of salaries of the civil servants, military personnel and retirees by the end of June without delay.

According to an Anadolu reporter, 29 lawmakers in the 128-seat parliament termed Monday’s parliamentary session as “unconstitutional”, citing the absence of the 2023 state budget and failure to elect a new president.

Under the Constitution, the president is the only one who has the authority to demand holding a parliamentary session.

Lebanese lawmakers have been unable to elect a successor to former President Michel Aoun, who left office last October.

In April, the government approved a decision to raise public sector salaries, in addition to hiking the transportation allowance for employees.

The currency has collapsed against the dollar from 1,506 liras at the end of 2019 to about 95,000 liras during the current year.

The annual inflation rate climbed in Lebanon to 269% in April, the world’s highest, according to the World Bank.

Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis since 2019, that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

The country has been without a fully functioning government since last year, with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Cabinet having limited powers in their current caretaker status.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar