A government increasingly under pressure. The Minister of Justice, Marie-Claude Najm, in turn resigned on Monday August 10, becoming the third member of the Lebanese government to slam the door following the deadly double explosion in the port of Beirut. This departure brings the government of Hassan Diab even closer to resigning after the tragedy which angered the population.

By submitting her resignation Monday morning, Marie-Claude Najm followed the example of the Minister of Information, Manal Abdel Samad, and the Minister of the Environment, Damianos Kattar. Faced with the scale of the tragedy and the anger of a weary population, the two ministers had already announced their departure from the government on Sunday.

According to the Constitution, the government falls if more than a third of its members resign. Local media say other ministers from the 20-member government, which is due to meet in the afternoon, may follow.

Lebanese called to demonstrate on Monday

These serial resignations, however, are struggling to calm the anger of the street. The Lebanese are called to demonstrate on Monday in front of the presidential palace of Baabda in Beirut to demand the resignation of the head of state, Michel Aoun, six days after the explosion which destroyed part of the city.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on Saturday that he would call for early parliamentary elections. But these elections are not one of the main demands of the streets, as Parliament is controlled by traditional forces who have drawn up a carefully calibrated electoral law allowing them to serve their interests. "All means all," have proclaimed the last two days the demonstrators, calling for the departure of all leaders.

The weekend protests in Beirut, which brought together several thousand people, are the largest since the protest movement began in October against the economic crisis and the corruption of the political elite.

On Sunday, international donors to Lebanon pledged to send nearly € 253 million in aid quickly and unconditionally to Beirut. But they said continued support would depend on the implementation of institutional reforms.

Read also: "Conference for Lebanon: aid will be paid 'directly' to the population"

With AFP and Reuters

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