Lebanese President Michel Aoun called yesterday for the government to continue its caretaker business until a new government is formed, following the announcement of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation the day before yesterday, while Hariri expressed his readiness to become prime minister in a new Lebanese government, provided that it includes ministers Technocrats are able to implement the needed reforms quickly to avoid an economic collapse, while the Lebanese army leadership has urged protesters to open closed roads to restore normalcy.
In a statement, the General Directorate of the Presidency of the Republic of Lebanon said in a statement: "Following the provisions of Article 69, paragraph 1, of the Constitution concerning cases in which the government is considered to be resigning, and after the resignation of its Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Michel Aoun thanked the Prime Minister and the ministers."
"He asked the government to continue the caretaker business until a new government is formed."
In turn, Hariri expressed his readiness to become prime minister in a new Lebanese government, provided that it includes technocrat ministers capable of implementing the required reforms quickly to avoid an economic collapse.
"The new government should be free of a group of prominent politicians included in the outgoing government," said a senior Lebanese official, who asked not to be named.
Hariri resigned on Tuesday after mass protests that lasted nearly two weeks against Lebanon's political elite, which demonstrators accuse of corruption.
Under the provisions of article 69, paragraph 1, of the Lebanese constitution, which stipulates that the government is considered to be resigned in the event of the resignation of its president, the General Directorate of the Presidency announced in a statement that President Michel Aoun "asked the government to continue the caretaker business until a new government is formed."
After nearly 13 days of unprecedented public movement that has paralyzed the country for years, Hariri announced the resignation of his government on Tuesday "in response to the will of many Lebanese who took to the streets to demand change."
Protesters are demanding the formation of a government of specialists to run the country in a transitional period until early legislative elections.
To celebrate the resignation, the Lebanese protesters returned to the demonstration yards in a festive atmosphere, where they lit their phone lights, fluttered Lebanese flags, fired balloons and beat drums to express their happiness with Hariri's move, after nearly two weeks of popular protests shaking the country.
Demonstrators said they were happy to announce the resignation, pointing out that their protests are paying off, while others stressed that the ceiling of the popular movement is still high, targeting the entire political class.
The Haqqi group, one of the organizers of the protests, said that the announcement of the resignation "is a historic achievement by restoring the word to the people.
For its part, the Lebanese army command urged the protesters to open the closed roads to restore normalcy, as the army opened a main road in northern Beirut, after brief clashes with the demonstrators yesterday morning. Al-Jadeed television showed footage of a group of soldiers trying to drive a car blocking the road until its driver drove away.
The Lebanese National News Agency revealed that the security forces and the Lebanese army reached with the protesters an understanding to open most roads in the city of Tripoli, except for the main road in Beddawi and the roads leading to Nour Square.
Road closures were an important weapon for Lebanese protesters throughout the two-week-old protests demanding the government's departure, fighting corruption and improving living standards.
At the Ring Bridge in the center of the capital, a security officer tried to persuade the crowds to open the way to nearby hospitals. One woman told Reuters brushing blankets on the road that she remained in place.
The army command said in a statement that the right to peaceful demonstration was guaranteed by law, but said it applied to "public squares only".
The main protest square in central Beirut was calm, but security forces closed it to traffic.
On the other hand, former Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Miqati, yesterday, in an interview with «Sky News», that the resignation of Saad Hariri's government was the right decision, stressing that the demand for regime change raised by the demonstrators can be achieved through the next parliament.
Mikati added that the resignation of the government is important, because it tells the protesters that the message has arrived, but it is only the beginning of resolving the crisis of the country.
He considered that the solution includes several steps, including the reassignment of Hariri to form a new government, which should be a homogeneous task force, so that the ministers to hold portfolios according to their competence.
After the government has confidence in the parliament, Mikati said, it should achieve two things: the 2020 budget with the required reforms, and the adoption of a new election law.
Miqati suggested shortening the life of the current council and holding early elections within six months to renew the legitimacy of the country.
He considered that the unprecedented protests in the country means withdrawing the «agency» that was granted to the government, stressing «we must listen to the citizen again and restore democracy».
He said that «these steps do not completely mean that we have maintained the (political) system, and there must be reforms at the moment within the current system and the Constitution and the Taif Agreement».
He added that it was incumbent on the new Parliament to make changes it deemed appropriate, such as a review of the system and the Constitution.
He stressed the importance of fulfilling the demands of the demonstrators, otherwise the country would witness a new movement, which would bring it into a state of instability.
Economically, the Association of Banks in Lebanon announced that it will resume its work today, after suspending its activities for 13 days, but its doors will be closed to citizens.
Lebanon's sovereign bonds were one of their worst days ever, after Hariri's resignation, fueling uncertainty about how the country will weather its most severe economic crisis in nearly 30 years.