Lebanon’s Energy and Water Minister Joe Al-Saddik announced a boycott of cabinet meetings on Tuesday, protesting the government’s refusal to fund Electricité du Liban amid severe power shortages that leave citizens with just two to four hours of electricity daily.
The political standoff escalated on Tuesday when the Ministry of Energy and Water brought a long-simmering institutional dispute directly into the open. Energy and Water Minister Joe Al-Saddik declared an immediate boycott of all cabinet meetings, refusing to participate until the administration addresses what he termed a systemic failure to support the national power utility.
Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, Al-Saddik insisted his action was designed to force accountability rather than abdicate responsibility, warning that ordinary citizens are forced to absorb the financial shock of global fuel inflation.
Joe Al-Saddik said according to Al-Taqa that “the decision to suspend participation is not an abandonment of responsibility, but rather an adherence to it and a raising of our voice in the name of the Lebanese citizen so that they do not bear the burdens of the global energy crisis alone.”
Financial Demands Placed on Electricité du Liban
The dispute centers on a widening financial deficit at Electricité du Liban, which has seen its daily power generation collapse from roughly seven hours earlier in the year down to two to four hours daily as fuel costs surge.
According to the ministry, state agencies made certain payments over a single month, but subsequent collections dried up entirely. The minister also demanded that the government cover the financial burden of electricity exemptions granted to war-affected areas in the south, arguing that the utility cannot absorb these costs independently. He further revealed that 24 companies expressed interest in investing in the energy sector conditional on financial guarantees, though necessary capital investments remained unimplemented because earlier funds were squandered on fuel acquisitions.
How can we ask the citizen to pay their bill in full, while state institutions themselves do not pay what they owe so that we can buy fuel? Joe
Proposals for Structural Reform and Moving Tariffs
Beyond immediate cash injections, the ministry pressed for structural changes, including a floating tariff structure tied to international crude oil prices. Proponents argue this mechanism would protect the utility from currency and commodity shocks, though officials note that tariff adjustments typically require three to four months to generate measurable revenue impacts.
At the same time, Al-Saddik highlighted massive losses from technical and non-technical theft, estimating that unauthorized siphoning accounts for 30% of all generated power. He characterized this widespread pilfering as outright theft that must be eliminated alongside billing improvements.
To reduce reliance on costly private diesel generators, the ministry is also pursuing external energy supplies. Al-Saddik noted that pipeline repairs to receive gas through Deir Ammar are underway, while discussions regarding electricity imports from Syria and Turkey remain pending technical and feasibility studies. He also met with the Turkish energy minister in New York during September to discuss technical feasibility and explore potential Jordanian gas supply agreements.
Political Precedents for Cabinet Boycotts
Al-Saddik’s decision to suspend his cabinet attendance while retaining his ministerial portfolio revives a familiar form of political protest in Lebanese governance. Constitutional experts observe that individual boycotts have no formal basis in Lebanon's constitution and function purely as political pressure rather than a legal resignation. Constitutional expert Saeed Malik and other local legal authorities have frequently noted that such actions act solely as political expressions.
The tactic mirrors previous high-profile suspensions, including former Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb’s boycott of government sessions in August 2015 over decision-making paralysis. Similar cabinet absences were recorded during political crises involving former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s administration in late 2005 when five ministers suspended participation, as well as subsequent boycotts by Free Patriotic Movement ministers during Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s tenure. Critics from opposing political blocks, however, questioned the utility of the move, arguing that absent ministers risk sidelining their own proposals entirely while cabinet business continues.
