Reportage
Lebanon: demonstrators come to support the deputies occupying the Parliament
Audio 01:14
Demonstrators supporting the action of the Lebanese deputies occupying the Parliament, January 20, 2023 in Beirut.
© AZIZ TAHER / REUTERS
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Lebanese deputies from the 2019 protest movement occupied parliament for the third consecutive night.
They demand the immediate opening of a parliamentary session until the election of a president of the republic whose post has been vacant since the end of October.
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With our correspondent in Beirut,
Sophie Guignon
Barbed wire, barriers and soldiers… Behind an imposing security device, a handful of demonstrators take turns in front of Parliament.
Yahya el-Masri, 56, installs a speaker on the roof of his car.
It broadcasts the anthems of the 2019 protest movement from which
the rebellious deputies
come.
“
My songs, they will hear them far beyond parliament.
We must support them
,” says Yahya el-Masri.
Since Thursday evening, a dozen opposition politicians have occupied the Chamber of Deputies.
They demand the opening of a parliamentary session to urgently elect a president, for the time being without success.
The Lebanese Parliament has been occupied by opposition deputies since January 20, 2023 to demand the election of a new president.
©Firas Hamdan/Handout via Reuters
Chérine el-Zein and Maha Dib, two early activists, hope to see mobilization grow.
“
It makes me a little sad that there are few people.
It is an opportunity for people to impose their demands.
This is not the time to stay at home and complain about the government
, ”launches the first.
“
It's our last chance, either it works or we don't make it and we'll be in a terrible situation
”, explains the second.
Determined not to give in to political inertia, the opposition MPs organize rotations to hold this sit-in over time.
►Also read: The Lebanese pound continues to fall
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