📰 4 sources 7 articles · 20 Oct 2026, 16:27 → 24 days ago

Lebanon's Constitutional Council annuls Article 3 of the bank reform law

Lebanon's Constitutional Council unanimously accepted the review filed by the President of the Republic and annulled Article 3 of Law No. 71 of 10 September 2026 amending the bank reform law, on the grounds that it did not obtain the required majority in parliament. The Council also annulled the travel-ban clause concerning major shareholders and board members of banks under liquidation in Article 19, and restored the corresponding article of Law No. 23/2025. Later coverage discussed the implications of the decision for the presidency and the banking-sector reform path.

📍 Where things stand: The Constitutional Council's decision is in effect, annulling Article 3 of Law No. 71 and certain clauses of Article 19, while political and legal readings of its repercussions continue.

⏱️ Timeline

20 Oct 2026, 16:27 A headline published on the "Lebanon Debate" channel said the Constitutional Council "opened a gap" and "struck" the bank reform law, without the available text including details on the decision or its reasons.
20 Oct 2026, 17:09 "Lebanon Debate" reported that the Constitutional Council unanimously accepted the President of the Republic's appeal and annulled Article 3 of the bank restructuring law that parliament had approved.
20 Oct 2026, 18:00 The Constitutional Council unanimously issued a decision accepting the review submitted by President Joseph Aoun and annulling Article 3 of Law No. 71 of 10 September 2026 amending the bank reform law, because it did not obtain the required majority in parliament. It also annulled the travel-ban clause concerning major shareholders and board members of banks under liquidation contained in Article 19.
20 Oct 2026, 18:32 MTV reported that the Constitutional Council considered that Article 3 was not put to a vote correctly, and restored the effect of the corresponding article of Law No. 23/2025, which refers to the Money and Credit Law.
21 Oct 2026, 06:58 A "Lebanon Debate" report addressed five implications it described as highly significant achieved by the President of the Republic through the annulment of Article 3 of the bank reform law, a step connected to the banking-sector reform path.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Name of the President of the Republic who filed the appeal

President Michel Aoun according to lebanon debate
President Joseph Aoun according to annahar.com
President Joseph Aoun according to MTV Lebanon

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

Coverage ranged from a brief legal note merely referring to the "suspension" of Article 3, to detailed accounts of the decision's path, reasoning and texts in Annahar and MTV, while Lebanon Debate framed it politically as a "presidential victory" and devoted a report to its implications.

lebanon debate Opened with a headline about a "gap" and the law being "struck", then presented the decision in a political frame describing it as a "presidential victory", and later devoted a report to five implications achieved by the President.
aljadeed Limited itself to a short item saying the Constitutional Council "suspended" Article 3 of the bank restructuring law, without details on the review, the reasons for the decision or its texts.
annahar.com Focused on the detailed legal framework: the unanimity, the law's number and date (No. 71 of 10 September 2026), the reason for annulment (failure to obtain the required parliamentary majority), and the annulment of the travel-ban clause in Article 19.
MTV Lebanon Emphasized the procedural aspect of the Council's decision, reporting that Article 3 was not put to a vote correctly and that the corresponding article of Law No. 23/2025 referring to the Money and Credit Law was restored.