Lebanon: Prime Minister to propose early legislative elections

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

While thousands of people show their anger this Saturday, August 8 in Beirut against the power in place after the double explosion that hit the Lebanese capital, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that he would propose early legislative elections.

Publicity

Only "  early elections can make it possible to get out of the structural crisis  ", estimates the head of the Lebanese government. In a televised speech, Hassan Diab called on Saturday "  all political parties to agree on the next step  ". Their leaders "  do not have much time, I am ready to continue to assume my responsibilities for two months until they come to an agreement,  " he added.

The prime minister, who formed his cabinet in January after Saad Hariri resigned at the end of October under pressure from a popular protest movement, added that he would submit his proposal to the Council of Ministers on Monday.

The announcement came as thousands of Lebanese had been demonstrating since midday in downtown Beirut, demanding accountability from power after the explosion at the capital's port on Tuesday that devastated entire neighborhoods and made more 150 dead and 6,000 injured. This rally degenerated in places in the evening with violence between demonstrators and the police, while other protesters stormed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, proclaiming it "headquarters of the Revolution".

Resignations

To the anger of the population is added to that of political figures. Several deputies thus resigned this Saturday to denounce "  the carelessness and corruption of power  ", reports our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh . Among them, the leader of the Christian party Kataëb Samy Gemayel announced his resignation with the two other representatives of his formation in Parliament, after the funeral of the secretary general of this party who was killed during the double explosion. Independent MP Paulette Yacoubian also resigned, calling on her colleagues to follow suit on Monday.

The Druze deputy Marwan Hamadé was the first to open the ball by slamming the door of Parliament on Tuesday evening, just hours after the disaster.

The leader of the Christian party of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, meanwhile announced that his deputies would resign only if early elections were held the following day. At this stage of the crisis, no signs of resignation either on the side of the largest Sunni bloc led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri or the Druze leader Walid Joumblatt.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• Lebanon
• Hassan diab