LEBANON GOVERNMENT CRUMBLES AS PRIME MINISTER DIAB RESIGNS
PM says Cabinet was ‘victim of rumours’ and blames endemic corruption for deadly Beirut blast
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the resignation of his government yesterday amid public anger over the explosion last week that devastated the capital, Beirut.
Mr Diab blamed the blast – which killed at least 160 people and injured 6,000 – on “endemic corruption” and said his government had been the “victim of rumours”.
But, he said, they must give in to the will for change shown by the public, who took to the streets over several nights in protest at the government’s handling of the disaster.
“We want to open the door for national salvation,” he said. “I declare today the resignation of this government. May God protect Lebanon.”
Mr Diab’s announcement followed the resignation since the explosion last Tuesday of his information, environment, justice and health ministers as well as several members of parliament.
On Sunday, in an interview with Britain’s ITV News, Mr Diab said the Lebanese people had a right to be furious.
“I am not afraid of the people’s fury. Absolutely they have a right to be furious, not just because of this,” he said, as pressure mounted on him and his government to resign. “It is absolutely diabolical what happened; however, they were also furious before that, about three decades of unbelievable corruption ... we are here facing all of these accumulated problems.”
MP Alain Aoun told The National that the government’s resignation would not affect the investigation into the explosion at Beirut’s port.
He said the government would probably “stay as a caretaker. But the investigation is in the hands of the judges and the attorney general and they, are not affected by changes to the government”.
“Maybe the ministerial committee will not survive, but the judges will continue their work. They have already started.”
Tuesday’s blast compounded months of difficulties in Lebanon, which was already dealing with an economic collapse that had led to months of protests. Its poor health infrastructure was also struggling to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Veteran politician and leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt said the government’s resignation met the basic demand of the people after the disaster. “Today, the demand has been fulfilled and we consider it a great political victory,” he told Sky News.
At the weekend, an angry public took to the streets and police used tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters.
Despite the resignation of Mr Diab and his government, protesters hurled rocks and fireworks at Parliament last night, with police and the military trying to keep them back. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that bullets were fired into the air in Tripoli to mark the decision.