Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri yesterday announced several reform decisions taken by his government to calm the massive protests witnessed in the country days ago, explaining that they are a step towards resolving the economic crisis, while demonstrators rejected their decisions, and called for the continuation of protests until real reforms, and the resignation of the government .

In a press conference held after an urgent cabinet meeting at the Baabda Palace in Beirut, Hariri revealed that the government has decided to halve the salaries of Lebanese ministers and MPs. He also stressed that the new budget will not include any additional taxes, and that the government approved the 2020 budget by a deficit of 0.6%. .

The prime minister acknowledged that the demonstrations "come as a result of the feeling of youth anger and despair," stressing that he will not ask the demonstrators to stop the protest.

On the other hand, Hariri expressed support for the demand of the demonstrators to hold early parliamentary elections, and considered that «the demonstrations broke many political barriers, and regained a unified national identity in Lebanon».

Hariri gave his government partners 72 hours to take action to address the deteriorating situation in the country, threatening to resort to unspecified options.

Hariri said the banking sector would help reduce the deficit by paying more taxes on bank profits.

The Prime Minister noted that the government will work on the draft law to recover the looted funds, in addition to the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission by the end of this year.

Hariri also made clear that reforms include abolishing the Ministry of Information and other public institutions he said were "unnecessary."

In a related context, the website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers on «Twitter», in a tweet, «Lebanese President Michel Aoun signed the draft budget in 2020, and transferred to the House of Representatives in the constitutional deadline».

Earlier in the day, the Lebanese president said the protests were "painful people," but it was unfair to accuse all politicians of corruption.

According to the National Media Agency, the demonstrators hovered around loudspeakers during Hariri's speech, and when they mentioned each item they chanted “revolution” and “the people wanted to overthrow the regime,” indicating that most of the initial reactions to Hariri's speech were unconvinced by the measures. Declared.

The demonstrators in Lebanon, through a statement, yesterday, their rejection of the reforms approved by the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and called for the continuation of protests until real reforms, and the resignation of the government.

"There is no confidence, no confidence in your reforms, your approach and the mentality of your system," the protesters said in a statement yesterday. We reject unrealistic, loose and misguided government reforms to buy time and procrastinate. "We reject the policy of further impoverishment of people, completion with leverage and privatization policies."

"There is no confidence in a government that does not agree on these reforms, where your reforms have been for years," the statement continued.

The protesters 'statement responded in detail to points made in the reforms: "There is no value to the banks' financing of the deficit (for one year).

The statement continued to criticize the reform policies announced: «There is no value to impose taxes on the profits of banks, as long as these profits are the result of the interest paid by the Central Bank to deposit banks. What is needed is to zero these benefits. ”

The statement pointed to «the absence of projects on the move to move the economic wheel only with more debt».

The statement said that «reducing the budgets of some councils and ministries by 70% means the abolition of its role and development function, and to maintain the role of benefiting jobs for the privileged».

The statement expressed the determination of the demonstrators to overthrow the current government: `` We will not back down until the overthrow of the government of unfair taxes and sectarian quotas, and fulfill all demands, namely: the immediate resignation of the government of unfair taxes and sectarian quotas, and the formation of a mini-government of independent specialists who do not belong to the ruling system. ''

The statement pointed out that the government of salvation referred to «must adopt the following steps, namely: Holding early parliamentary elections based on a fair electoral law that guarantees the correct representation, management of the economic crisis and the adoption of a fair tax system, and fortify the judiciary, and criminalize the intervention of political forces. The statement urged "to invite people to take to the streets, crippling and camping on the roads until the departure of the government."

The demonstrations in Lebanon, yesterday, entered its fifth day after about two million people took to the streets, the day before yesterday, and calls for an open strike and paralyzing movement throughout the country.