Lebanese MP Paula Yacoubian resigns over blast

An independent member of Lebanon’s parliament resigned yesterday, the fourth MP to do so since Tuesday’s explosion.

Paula Yacoubian said she decided to quit soon after the massive blast destroyed “a huge part of my city, Beirut”.

“I believe that my resignation has become more of a duty now,” she said.

Ms Yacoubian said she empathised with others in the country who were suffering and felt she could no longer sit beside MPs who contributed to it.

Handing in her resignation was the least she could do to bring the Lebanese people some comfort, she said.

Ms Yacoubian said she discussed the possibility of resigning with other independent MPs and those from of the Lebanese Phalange Party, or Kataeb.

“Some asked not to rush and wait a bit,” she said.

Kataeb’s leader yesterday said all three of its MPs had stepped down.

Samy Gemayel announced the news at the funeral of Nazar Najarian, Kataeb’s secretary general, who was killed in the blast.

“Your comrades took the decision to resign from parliament,” Mr Gemayel said, addressing Najarian directly in an emotional speech.

Ms Yacoubian said when she learnt the Kataeb MPs had quit she felt compelled to do the same.

“I wish 10 or 12 liberal and independent parliamentarians had resigned,” she said in a video posted on Twitter.

“I will try to contact as many MPs as possible to convince them to resign because we cannot continue to play the role of false witnesses in this parliament, which is unproductive and doesn’t convene.”

Ms Yacoubian said that during her time in parliament she had helped to expose the corruption that contributed to Lebanon’s economic crisis.

She complained about the dire state of the Lebanese economy and criticised the central bank’s imposition of capital controls.

Ms Yacoubian also said that during her two years in parliament, she had repeatedly called for urgent meetings of the committee in charge of environment issues to discuss air pollution.

“We have been dying slowly. Despite all my calls, nobody responded,” she said.

Ms Yacoubian was one of four MPs who quit this week