Main parties agree to Hariri reform package
NEW TAXES TO BE SCRAPPED, 50% CUT IN WAGES OF MINISTERS AND OFFICIALS
Lebanon’s main parties have agreed to a reform package proposed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who had given his coalition partners until today to back it, a senior official said.
The country’s top leaders replied yesterday to Hariri’s ultimatum, agreeing to scrap new taxes and privatise major companies, among other measures, a cabinet official said on condition of anonymity.
On Friday, the second day of the country’s biggest wave of anti-government protests in years, Hariri addressed the nation and gave his cabinet partners 72 hours to support his plan. “He sent it to all factions and received their agreement, especially from the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah, and tomorrow he will go to the cabinet to approve it,” the official said. The Free Patriotic Movement is the party of President Michel Aoun and his influential son-in-law Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Some of Hariri’s traditional allies have however expressed reservations over the plan.
The agreement was reached as hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded the streets in the biggest show of dissent against the establishment in decades.
A sea of people, some waving Lebanese flags, crammed roads for the fourth day, calling for
revolution in protests that resembled the 2011 Arab revolts that toppled four presidents.
Aoun is due to chair a meeting of the Council of Ministers today morning to discuss the plan. Hariri’s ultimatum Friday was largely perceived by protestors as a desperate attempt by the political elite to save their seats. News that Lebanon’s embattled cabinet was about to approve the rescue package left many demonstrators unimpressed last night. “They have been lying for more than 20 years. We are fed up and we want all the politicians to go,” said protester Rana Medawar.
Since Thursday Lebanese have been protesting demanding jobs, a reduction of taxes, improving health care and fighting corruption. Ultimately they want to get rid of the country’s sectarian ruling elite.
For three decades, Lebanon has been ruled by an elite of former warlords and militia leaders from Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, who later turned into politicians and statesmen.
Who controls Lebanon?
The Future Movement, headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, is the ultimate representative of Sunni Muslims across the country. Allied and affiliated to France and Saudi Arabia.
On the other side of the political spectrum stands the “Shiite coalition” composed of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. Both are Iran-backed and trace their roots back to the civil war era.
Unlike the case within the Shiite community, where the two main parties operate in close coordination with each other, the two main players in Maronite politics have been at daggers-end since the civil war.
The Free Patriotic Movement is headed by powerful foreign minister Gebran Bassil, who gets his power from his fatherin-law, President Michel Aoun. Aoun is allied to Hezbollah who helped him become president.
Why are they In power?
Most heavyweights hail from prominent political families, having inherited their posts from their fathers, grandfathers, or in-laws.
Regional politics have contributed to the sustainability of this ruling elite, with each member representing the interests of a certain country.
Berri is Syria’s man in Lebanon, Nasrallah is Iran’s, while Hariri is a protégé of Saudi Arabia.
Why do Lebanese still vote for their same leaders?
One reason is the complex patron-client system of Lebanese politics, where people rely on these very same leaders for basic services to their areas (like electricity, water, and schools), business deals, and protection from the state of law.
In exchange, they expect nothing less than absolute loyalty from their followers.
That has carved up Lebanon into three mini-states.
One is the Sunni strongholds of Beirut, Sidon, and Tripoli, and another is the Iranbacked fiefdoms of the Shiites, stretched across the Bekka Valley and the southern neighbourhood of Beirut, which is
Hezbollah’s stronghold. The third is Mount Lebanon and its Christian environs, divided between Aoun and Geagea.
Another reason is fear of the other—both at home and in the broader neighbourhood. Sunnis keep voting for Hariri and his team, fearing Iranian hegemony in Lebanon.
Shiites do the same, because of Saudi Arabia’s historical backing of Hariri.
Christians still root for Aoun and Geagea for lack of better alternatives, since no serious party has emerged to protect Christian interests in Lebanon, who feel marginalised, weak, and over-muscled by Muslims of both sects.