Lebanon: Saad Hariri resigns

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Tuesday that he was going to present the resignation of his government, on the 13th day of an unprecedented popular protest demanding the fall of the regime.

« I am going to the Baabda Palace to present the resignation of the government to the President of the Republic, » Hariri said in a short televised address, greeted by the cheers of the crowd who listened to him live at the scene. gathering.

One of the latest episodes in this political sequence is the October 25 appeal of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to his supporters not to participate in the protests. The call followed clashes between Hezbollah supporters and protesters due to the fact that some of them were conspiring to Hassan Nasrallah along with the other leaders.

The revolt was triggered on October 17 by the surprise announcement of a tax on calls via WhatsApp messaging. It was quickly canceled but the anger did not calm down against the ruling class, judged unanimously incompetent and corrupt in a country that lacks electricity, water or basic medical services 30 years after the end of the war civil society (1975-1990).

The standoff between the streets and power paralyzed the country, especially because of the many roadblocks. The power has so far made no significant concessions, seeming to play the decay of a movement without a leader.

The army, sent several times to raise the roadblocks, has most often given up against the determination of the protesters. She even fraternized on Wednesday with the crowd in scenes repeatedly looped on television channels and moved the whole country. Sunday morning, as every day, dozens of men, women and children took possession of the heart of Beirut to clean the meeting places. Some had slept there in tents, obviously determined to stay as long as necessary.

The Lebanese diaspora is also mobilizing to support the uprising, with gatherings taking place in Paris, London or Amsterdam.

The police had had to intervene briefly in the morning on a highway bridge to stop clashes involving supporters of pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

The protesters had succeeded Sunday an unprecedented demonstration of strength and unity by forming a human chain from north to south of the country, 170 km long.

The demonstrators favored the same slogans: « Revolution, revolution!, » All, that means all, « and » The people want the fall of the regime « .

The current government is the third headed by Prime Minister Hariri since he took office in 2009.

Long supported by Saudi Arabia, he is the son of the billionaire and former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri murdered in 2005.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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