At the beginning of its fourth week .. Lebanese students are moving forward against the political elite

Crowds of university and school students in various parts of Lebanon, as part of the popular movement, which is entering its fourth consecutive week, staged a sit-in to demand political reform and fight corruption.

The students held vigils in front of the Ministry of Education headquarters in Beirut, where they called on the authorities to respond to the demands of the popular movement. Sidon, Tripoli and Mount Lebanon witnessed similar movements of students.

The students waved Lebanese flags and carried banners that read "No study, no teaching until the president falls", and on the other, "We lose a better school day than our future."

Thousands of students were absent from their classes on Friday for the third day in a row and demonstrated in front of public utilities and banks, AFP reported.

According to the official NNA, the student movement spread in Sidon and Damour in the south, Jbeil and Jounieh north of the capital, Chekka and Tripoli in northern Lebanon, as well as in Zahle and Baalbek in the east, and in Aley east of the capital.

Protests
Protesters also protested in front of a number of official circles and public institutions across the country to denounce the performance of the ruling political class, and demand the formation of an interim government to prepare for early elections.

Dozens of demonstrators and retired military personnel closed the entrance to Beirut port this morning for about two hours, AFP reported.

A number of protesters also gathered in front of the Social Security Institution in Jounieh, Mount Lebanon, while others gathered in front of the Traffic Management Authority in the eastern suburb of Beirut.

In light of the closures in Lebanon, the president of private hospital owners Suleiman Haroun said that the country is on the verge of a major health disaster unless the situation is immediately rectified.

He explained in a press conference that hospitals are unable to pay the dues of importers of medicines and medical supplies, due to lack of liquidity, and asked banks to facilitate the transfer of funds in US dollars to importers of medical supplies.

Aoun and Hariri consultations
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Hariri held consultations with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace on Thursday.

Hariri said in a brief speech after the meeting that he came to talk with the President, and will continue consultations with other parties, without giving any details about what took place between them.

Earlier, Aoun justified the delay in parliamentary consultations, on the basis of which a new prime minister is being commissioned, with his desire to complete what he called "the necessary contacts", as he has not yet set a date for the start of the consultations.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he was determined to name Saad Hariri as prime minister. Hariri resigned on October 29 following protests.

Naeem Qassem, Hezbollah's deputy secretary-general, warned of what he called the thieves of the popular movement, saying they were from the US embassy and some sectarian parties who wanted to take the movement elsewhere, he said.

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, said that resolving the current crisis in Lebanon requires a government of independents and non-partisans.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said in a tweet on Twitter that in the midst of violating the constitution, at the height of socio-economic risks and the height of mobility, politicians are consulting on how to improve and beautify the previous compromise that ruined the country.

Protesters insist on the departure of the ruling class, and pressure through banditry and besieging government institutions to implement their demands, including speeding up the process of forming a government of mini-technocrats, early parliamentary elections, and accountability for all corrupt in power, as well as declassification of bank accounts politicians.