Lebanon’s PM Diab warns country is a few days away from social explosion
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab sounded the alarm Tuesday, calling on the international community to help stave off a “social explosion.”
Speaking during a televised address, Diab warned that
Lebanon was on the brink of a disaster that will see its “repercussions
reverberate outside the country.”
Diab, who has been heading a cabinet in a caretaker capacity
for more than 10 months, said any government would need the support of “friendly
nations to save the country from the predicament it currently finds itself in.”
Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government
since Diab resigned in the immediate aftermath of the deadly Beirut port
explosion on Aug 4, 2020 that killed over 200 people.
In October, three-time premier Saad Hariri was designated to
form a new government after securing the votes of 65 MPs.
However, the government has yet to see the light of day amid
political infighting between local political players, including Hariri and
President Michel Aoun.
The crisis-hit country’s constitution stipulates that both
men must agree on the makeup of the government in unison.
“The Lebanese have been patient and are bearing the burden
of this long wait. But their patience is running out as their suffering
mounts,” Diab said.
More than 60 percent of the population has fallen below the
poverty line while the national currency has lost more than 91 percent of its
value, making most basic commodities inaccessible.
Food insecurity is rampant while fuel shortages have hit
hospitals, bakeries and households.
Two of Lebanon’s four powerplants are currently running on
sparse fuel supplies, with the state power utility, Électricité du Liban,
warning it would have to switch them off if its waning reserves of gas oil run
out.
Meanwhile, the shortages have also made their way to the
state-owned telecom company Ogero, which is struggling to keep its generators
and stations online.
To avoid an internet blackout, MPs and Ogero are attempting
to secure additional funds to secure enough fuel to keep services operational,
MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said Monday.
Hariri, who returned to Beirut over the weekend, met with
Speaker Nabih Berri yesterday to discuss the latest developments surrounding
the government negotiations.
According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Hariri
is poised to step down if the stalemate persists and no breakthrough is found.
“If he does step down, it’ll be done in a way that doesn’t
hurt his popularity with his base given the upcoming parliamentary elections,”
the source said.
Lebanon is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in May
2022, more than two and half years since mass protests erupted against the
ruling political class.
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