A multilateral tale

For 12 years, Lebanon did not ratify a state budget, and politicians have never offered an adequate reason to explain why. To understand what went wrong, we need to understand the process. Who should be doing what, and when should they be doing it? What does it actually take to create and ratify a budget, according to Lebanon’s constitution and the Public Accounting Law? The budget approval process can generally be broken into three phases, which involve four distinct institutions: the drafting of the budget proposal by the Ministry of Finance, the auditing of public finances by the Court of Accounts, and the endorsement of the audit and the draft budget by the Council of Ministers before ratification of both into law by Parliament. How the budget train derails In April of each year, the Ministry of Finance issues a circular asking all other ministries and public institutions—a total of