Lebanese resume protests to end political vacuum
beirut — Lebanese protesters resumed blocking major highways on Tuesday in what they said would be a “week of wrath” demanding an end to a months-long political vacuum.
Although protests had declined in size in recent weeks, demonstrations have been ongoing since October, increasingly targeting banks and state institutions blamed for driving the country towards collapse.
The unprecedented cross-sectarian movement has been fuelled by a crippling economic crisis, the worst since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war.
Debt-burdened Lebanon has been without a government since Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister on October 29, as political parties fail to agree on the makeup of a new one.
As a liquidity crisis grows and the cost of living rises, protesters have returned to the streets to urge politicians to swiftly form a cabinet of experts to respond to their demands.
On Tuesday morning, dozens of protesters blocked key highways in and around Beirut with overturned rubbish bins and burning tyres, AFP correspondents reported.
Laila Youssef, 47, said she was taking part to call on politicians to wake up. “We’ve gone back to closing down roads because we can’t stand it anymore,” the mother of three said.
“What we earn today is not enough to buy the basics for home,” she said.
Many Lebanese have lost their jobs or seen their salaries reduced by half in recent months.
Even as banks cap withdrawals, the value of the Lebanese pound to the US dollar has fallen by almost half on the parallel exchange market.
A 75-year-old who refused to give his name said he was protesting against the “mafia gangs” in power.
“To humiliate the Lebanese people, they formed mafia gangs with the banks and took out all the dollars,” he claimed. —
What we earn today is not enough to buy the basics for home Laila Youssef
A protester