Lebanon's parliament on Thursday (October 19th) approved a government budget for the first time since 2005, after three days of debate, AFP reported.
For 12 years, political crises and wars have forced Lebanon's state institutions to operate without a budget.
Lawmakers passed the budget for the current financial year in a vote Prime Minister Saad Hariri described as "historic".
The 2018 budget could be discussed as early as next week, he said.
Some lawmakers criticised the approval of amounts already spent, describing the debate prior to the vote as a "masquerade" and an attempt to hide financial wrongdoing.
