A year ago, in October 2019, an unprecedented popular uprising against the ruling class, accused of corruption and incompetence, was launched in Lebanon.

Three heads of government have resigned since the start of the movement, but the main political figures still hold power despite pressure in Lebanon and internationally.

Protestants are scheduled to demonstrate at 3 p.m. on Saturday towards the port of Beirut, where a powerful explosion on August 4 left more than 200 dead and more than 6,500 injured.

A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 18:07 (15:07 GMT), the precise time of the explosion, the responsibility of which is largely attributed to the negligence of the authorities.

Protesters also installed a statue near the site of the blast to mark the anniversary of the October 17 "revolution".

"We still do not see" our political leaders as legitimate, said Melissa, 42 and very involved in the movement.

"We are still in the street (...), together against the corrupt government".

Even if the mobilization is still active, "we reproach this movement for having been too polite, too peaceful, for not having known how to transform into a political movement to face a political class which has proved that it is very solid. ", notes Zeina Antonios, correspondent for France 24 in Lebanon.

"The political system is not easily shaken," she sums up.

"But the demonstrators say they are determined to resume."

The protests started in the fall of 2019 over a government plan to tax calls via the Whatsapp app, then turned into a national movement of unprecedented scale to demand a complete overhaul of the political class. in power for decades and seen as incompetent and corrupt.

Avoid "chaos and paralysis"

France again called on the Lebanese political forces on Friday evening to "assume their responsibilities" to avoid "chaos and paralysis" as consultations in Beirut to appoint a new prime minister have been postponed.

"While the economic and social crisis, aggravated by the consequences of the explosion of August 4, affects the Lebanese more and more severely, the formation of a mission government capable of implementing the necessary reforms continues to gain momentum. delay, despite the commitments reaffirmed by all the Lebanese political forces, "the Foreign Ministry said.

The Quai d'Orsay recalls that these political forces alone bear "the responsibility for this prolonged blockage, which prevents any response to the expectations expressed by the Lebanese population".

One year of economic, social and political crisis

The country faces the worst economic crisis since the civil war (1975-1990) and more and more Lebanese are sinking into poverty, unemployment and hunger, pushing many of them to try their luck abroad. .

The country is also not spared by the novel coronavirus epidemic, which has led authorities to ban demonstrations and public gatherings.

But even with a weakened mobilization capacity, many argue that resentment has only increased.

"The year II of the thaoura", headlines on the front page of the French-language daily L'Orient-Le Jour, using the Arabic word meaning "revolution" and used by the majority of Lebanese to refer to the protest movement.

In Tripoli, in the north of the country, nicknamed "the bride of the revolution" for the enthusiasm of its inhabitants in the protest, the rallies began on Friday evening.

"We welcome our revolution which, we believe, still continues and will not die until our demands are met," said Taha Ratl, a 37-year-old protester.

"We want them all to leave," he added, referring to the leaders.

With AFP

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