A crucial day in Lebanon .. Government meets and demonstrators block roads and bonds fall

Lebanese demonstrators began to arrive in squares and cut off roads in large areas of Lebanon, in conjunction with a detailed government meeting to be held in Baabda Palace in the last hours of the Hariri deadline as President Aoun proposed new measures.

The head of Al Jazeera's Lebanon office, Mazen Ibrahim, said the demonstrators, who had gathered yesterday in hundreds of thousands, blocked most of the roads in the capital Beirut and in large areas of Lebanon, and want to paralyze the country to press for the fulfillment of their demands.

He added that the Union of Employees called for a comprehensive strike, at a time when the crisis is escalating between the government and demonstrators.

Government meeting
As the demonstrators step up their movement on the street, the Lebanese government is holding an important meeting at Baabda Palace in Beirut to discuss the political situation in the country, and to study the study of a rescue plan proposed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the last two days to end the stifling economic crisis.

Al-Jazeera correspondent quoted private sources in Beirut that the paper includes a large financial contribution from banks, including the imposition of taxes on them and insurance companies, the abolition of government councils, and reduce investment expenses, in addition to activating the tax obligation, and prevent smuggling through legal crossings and the closure of illegal crossings.

Hariri 's economic paper also included proposals to solve the electricity crisis, approve the looted money recovery law and the law to protect corruption detectors, and reduce the salaries of current ministers and MPs by 40 to 60 percent.

A source in the prime minister told Agence France Presse that Hariri received the approval of the main political forces, especially Hezbollah and Aoun, on his rescue plan, which includes measures and measures, most notably the imposition of any new taxes and the privatization of many sectors.

The 72-hour ultimatum given by the prime minister to his "partners" in the government expires on Monday evening, referring to the Free Patriotic Movement led by President Michel Aoun, Hezbollah and their allies, who hold the ministerial majority, until they reaffirm their commitment to pursue a bailout package.

Declassify accounts
In conjunction with the important cabinet meeting, the Lebanese president said the protests in the country reflected the pain of the people, but it was unfair to charge everyone.
He suggested in a tweet on Twitter to start adopting the lifting of bank secrecy on the accounts of anyone who has ministerial responsibility present or future.

The unprecedented move in Lebanon against the backdrop of living demands in a small country weighed down by indebtedness, corruption, privatization and political inheritance is on its fifth day in a row, while demonstrators stick to the demand of the departure of the political class, scornful of all the "anesthetic" solutions offered.

Lebanon's government bonds plunged by one cent or more on Monday as the 2025 issue fell 1.34 cents in the dollar to trade at 65.5 cents, according to Tradeweb data, bringing the two-day bond's losses to around four cents.

Reform or the abyss?
Photos of the mass demonstrations were the front pages of all local newspapers in Lebanon. Al-Akhbar newspaper, close to Hizbollah, carried a picture of protesters carrying a giant flag on its front page with a comment "Test Day: Power or People?".

"Lebanon has two options: reform or the abyss," the English-language Daily Star reported.

The moves have taken an upward trend since Thursday as the number of demonstrators increased in succession, in the move to paralyze the country and shut down all its institutions. Protesters blame the political class for its mismanagement, corruption and inability to find solutions to decades-old problems.

The government's attempt to impose a financial fee on free calls via cell phone applications sparked these angry moves, as citizens can no longer afford the high cost of living, unemployment and poor public services.

Since the end of the civil war (1975-1990), successive governments have failed to carry out inter-governmental reforms, rehabilitate public utilities, and improve services and infrastructure. The Lebanese are forced to pay for basic services such as electricity and water, which are not always available. The cost of cellular communications in Lebanon is among the highest in the region.

Last year, the government pledged to the international community to cut public spending and reform projects in return for $ 11.6 billion in loans and grants approved by the Cedar conference. However, divergent views on the application of these projects and the dispute over quotas and appointments within the Government have prevented the Government from fulfilling its obligations so far.

In recent weeks, the government has been considering imposing taxes on a series of new taxes that affect the pockets of the poor and low-income, rather than stopping waste in some sectors, putting an end to encroachments on maritime property and reforming sectors that cost the state treasury.

System Crisis
Beirut and other cities from the north to the south were narrowed by a sea of ​​protesters of all ages, shouting with one voice: "The people want to overthrow the regime" and "all mean all", referring to their demand for the departure of all political class.

These moves seemed unprecedented and did not exclude a region, sect or leader. Her chants and statements by the participants extended to all the leaders and broke the prestige surrounding the political forces that found themselves forced to hear the noise of the street and harsh accusations of theft, corruption and looting of the state's capabilities.