Iran Press/Middle East: Prime Minister Hassan Diab concluded the government’s line-up and visited Baabda Palace where he met with President Michel Aoun before the two men signed the formation decree for a new government.
The announcement came after Hezbollah and its allies clinched a deal on a cabinet that is now tasked with tackling the country's economic crisis, Al Jazeera reported.
The country has been without an effective government since caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in October last year under pressure from protests against state corruption and waste.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab, a 60-year-old professor at the American University of Beirut, now heads a cabinet of 20 members, mostly specialists backed by political parties.
"I've been appointed in the face of many accusations. I wanted to work, not to argue. I have abided by the law informing me to form a government. I followed the rules and regulations to form a new team of ministers," he said, moments after the lineup was read out at the presidential palace on Tuesday.
"This is a government that represents the aspirations of the demonstrators who have been mobilized nationwide for more than three months," Diab said.
He pledged that his government "will strive to meet their demands for an independent judiciary, for the recovery of embezzled funds, and for the fight against illegal gains".
"In this decisive moment, I salute the revolution and the uprising that pushed us towards this and Lebanon has become victorious. We will achieve social cohesion. There will be accountability."
He added: "This [is a] government that does not aspire to cronyism and favors. None of the members of the government will be standing for the next elections. This government is made up of non-partisan people who are not affected by political wrangling."
The deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah in Lebanon emphasized on Monday that in the current situation, shareholder demands must be abandoned and more effort is needed to form a new government as quickly as possible.
On Sunday 19 January, a number of Lebanese protesters attacked commercial and financial centers, banks and the Alfa Telecommunication branch in central Beirut and damaged public and private property.
The Lebanese people have been holding demonstrations since 17 October, protesting against poor economic conditions, the rising cost of living, and high unemployment.
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