In Lebanon, anger and consternation after the announcement of Saad Hariri's withdrawal from political life
Surprised, disappointed and bitter, supporters of Saad Hariri let their anger explode after their leader's decision.
REUTERS - MOHAMED AZAKIR
Text by: RFI Follow
4 mins
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, one of the leaders of the Sunni community, announced on Monday his retirement from political life.
His party, the Current of the Future, will boycott the legislative elections scheduled for next May.
The withdrawal of the 50-year-old, propelled onto the political scene after the assassination in 2005 of his father, also former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, is not really a surprise in the midst of a political and financial crisis.
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When Saad Hariri's withdrawal from political life was announced, his supporters, surprised and bitter, took to the streets of Beirut by the dozens, blocking the main axes of the capital's Sunni strongholds.
“
Without him, our house crumbles
”
On one of the roadblocks where a few tires are burning, Samir still finds it hard to believe, reports
our correspondent in Beirut
,
Noé Pignède
.
“
It is one of the pillars of Lebanon.
Without him, our house crumbles.
The whole country will collapse.
It is as important as the capital of our country.
For you, Beirut is the capital of Lebanon, isn't it?
Well, for us, it's Saad Hariri.
»
The young man fears that with the departure of his leader, the Sunni community will no longer weigh heavily against the hegemony of Shiite Hezbollah.
"
We're going to end up like Iraq or Yemen,
" he says.
The only person who did not participate in the civil war and who could prevent a new one was Saad Hariri.
Now all young people like me are thinking about the best way to go with him.
»
“
A pillar of independence and moderation
that is leaving”
On the dam, Abu Aziz warms his hands near the fire.
The 50-year-old does not hide his anger.
“
He must really hate his family and his religion to do this.
It's a stab in the back,
he gets carried away.
We were betrayed by one of our own, not even by a stranger!
»
One thing is certain for these activists.
With the withdrawal of Saad Hariri and the boycott of the legislative elections next May by his party, the Courant du futur, no one here intends to vote.
In the traditional political class, confusion and consternation are the two words that sum up the general state of mind after Saad Hariri's decision to bow out, comments
our correspondent in Beirut
,
Paul Khalifeh
.
Walid Joumblatt, who tried until the last minute to convince the Sunni leader to reconsider his decision, does not hide his fears.
For the Druze leader, the withdrawal of Saad Hariri “
will give free rein to Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon
”.
With his departure, the country of the cedar "
loses a pillar of independence and moderation
", according to him.
An expected decision
A Sunni Muslim, Saad Hariri emerged politically after the assassination of his father
Rafic Hariri
in 2005. He was appointed head of government three times.
In announcing his withdrawal, he notably denounced “
Iranian influence
” in Lebanon and he called on the Courant du futur, his political party, not to participate in the legislative elections theoretically scheduled for next May.
“
It's a decision that was still expected for three, four months.
It's not really a twist,
underlines the Lebanese political scientist Joseph Bahout, who explains that the Lebanese Sunni political scene finds itself a little "
orphaned
".
The political scientist explains this decision
by “
a skein of things
”
.
“
It is first of all the great Saudi abandonment of those who were, until a few years ago, the proteges or clients of Saudi Arabia in Lebanon.
It started with this famous episode of Saad Hariri's kidnapping in Riyadh a few years ago [November 2017, editor's note], by MBS [Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, editor's note], then his release under pressure from the French president.
Then, the fact that Saudi Arabia has turned its back on Lebanon, which it considers a kind of prey today between the fangs of Hezbollah.
And Saad Hariri, himself a Saudi citizen, actually finds himself let down by his first and last protector in the region.
»
Tammam Salam, former Prime Minister and heavyweight in the Sunni community, had anticipated his ally's decision and announced that he would not be a candidate in the next elections.
According to him, the departure of Saad Hariri reflects the "
deep imbalance in national politics, which threatens the unity of the country and its inhabitants
".
Saad Hariri has already turned the page.
A few hours after his announcement, he left Beirut for Abu Dhabi where he has been living for several months.
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Lebanon
Saad Hariri