Charbel Nahas

Position: Telecommunications Minister

Biography: A prominent supporter of former president and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, Charbel Nahas’ appointment as telecoms minister represents a coup for the Aounists, as the department is one of the ministries most prized by Lebanon’s political factions.

Nahas is charged with overseeing the long-delayed privatisation of Lebanon’s telecoms system, with the sale of two mobile phone companies expected to raise $7bn for the state. However, press reports have questioned his commitment to privatisation, claiming he is reluctant to sell state-owned companies. But the performance of Lebanon’s telecoms systems lags behind others in the region and the new minister will have to meet the public’s expectation of an improved service. In December 2009,

Nahas announced that the government would create facilities to provide at least 90 per cent of the country with broadband internet access.

Contact: (+961) 1 979100