Combined Salaries of Lebanon’s President, Speaker & PM Drop Below $1,000

Lebanese President Michel Aoun holding a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Baabda last August (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun holding a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Baabda last August (Dalati & Nohra)
TT
20

Combined Salaries of Lebanon’s President, Speaker & PM Drop Below $1,000

Lebanese President Michel Aoun holding a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Baabda last August (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun holding a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Baabda last August (Dalati & Nohra)

The financial and economic collapse sweeping Lebanon has managed to drastically change the lifestyle of many Lebanese as it continues to threaten stability in the country.

Since 2019, the Lebanese pound has shed more than 90% of its value, dropping from an exchange rate of 1,505 pounds to the dollar to a staggering 37,800 pounds.

With the improvement of the incomes of some private sector employees, public sector staff remained the most affected by this crisis.

Many experts believe that the 2017 increase in the wages of civil servants was a major cause of Lebanon’s financial collapse today. The hike had doubled costs more than once to an already exhausted treasury.

Naturally, senior state officials were also affected by the collapse. Their salaries were virtually turned into crumbs.

The highest paycheck, which stands at about $330, goes to the country’s president.

Meanwhile, soldiers in the army and security officers are getting paid as little as $60 a month.

Even though the value of salaries has shrunk across the board, not all civil servants are suffering the same way.

No significant decline has been registered in terms of services offered to senior government officials, despite the low value of the operational budgets of state institutions.

Nevertheless, the financial and economic crisis had taken its toll on the parliament building, where lawmakers were unable to hold some sessions due to power outages.

Moreover, electricity is being rationed at the prime minister’s office.

Muhammad Shamseddine, a researcher at the Beirut-based consultancy firm “Information International,” confirmed that the crisis did not affect the lifestyle enjoyed by the president, speaker of parliament and prime minister.

Additionally, Shamseddine pointed out that the life standards of leaders in security services had also remained the same.

However, the crisis has overwhelmed the lifestyle of employees, officers and judges, whose salaries became frighteningly low.

The basic salary of the president is 4.5 million pounds. Presidents also receive a similar amount as a “representation allowance” and 3.5 million pounds in “honorary” compensations.

This brings the total to 12.5 million pounds. At the end of 2019, this amount equaled around $8,300. Today, it equals around $330 according to the black-market dollar exchange rate on Thursday afternoon.

As for the speaker of parliament and prime minister, they each receive a total of 11.825 million pounds (around $312).



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
TT
20

Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.