Across the country, the protesters are increasingly organized, rallying new social categories. New judicial investigations into corruption cases have been opened.
The protest movement in Lebanon, which is entering its fourth week, is not running out of steam. Schoolchildren and students demonstrated Thursday, November 7 by thousands across the country, the scene of an unprecedented uprising against political leaders, accused of corruption and incompetence. The protesters even appear more and more organized, rallying new social categories with initiatives that aim to preserve the scale of the mobilization.
Since October 17, hundreds of thousands of people, all communities, have beaten the streets to denounce the entire political class in a country in the grip of a serious economic crisis. Symbolic gesture, protesters on Thursday removed posters supporting the resigning Prime Minister Saad Hariri attached to street lights, which they replaced by Lebanese flags in Tripoli, a large northern city, to the applause of dozens of people. The demonstrators called megaphone inhabitants and traders to also remove the posters on the facades of their buildings.
Earlier in the capital, several thousand schoolchildren and students gathered in front of the Ministry of Education, backpacks on their shoulders, lighting colorful smoke and brandishing Lebanese flags. Student processions also marched through the streets of Beirut, punctuated by applause and whistling youth.
Serious shortages of water and electricity
The protesters got their first victory on October 29 with the resignation of Mr. Hariri and his government – which continues to manage the day-to-day business while waiting for the new team.
Hariri was briefly received Thursday by the head of state, Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace of Baabda. The two men led "Consultations about the (future) Government ", which will continue with the other parties, said the head of government after the meeting. The protesters intend to maintain the pressure until they get a government of technocrats who would not come from the traditional political seraglio.
In addition to Beirut and Tripoli, other student demonstrations have taken place across the country, including in the predominantly Shiite cities of Nabatiyah and Baalbek, two strongholds of the powerful Hezbollah movement, according to the Lebanese news agency ANI (National News Agency). 'information).
On Wednesday night, thousands of women gathered in Martyrs Square in the heart of Beirut, holding lit candles in their hands. Accompanied by the cheers of the crowd, the protesters tapped on pots and pans in a happy din. The Lebanese are exasperated by the lack of public services worthy of the name, including serious shortages of water and electricity.
In downtown Beirut, a feminine revolution … #Liban https://t.co/H3AphkRQqN
Launch of anti-corruption investigations
The World Bank estimated Wednesday that "The most urgent step" for Lebanon was "The rapid formation of a government corresponding to the expectations of all Lebanese". In case of persistent impasse, half of the population could sink into poverty and unemployment "Increase strongly"warned the institution, after a meeting of a delegation with Lebanese President Michel Aoun. According to the World Bank, about a third of Lebanese already live below the poverty line.
In recent days, the authorities have highlighted the measures adopted to illustrate their efforts in the fight against corruption, without managing to calm the street. Justice ordered Thursday the opening of new investigations in cases of corruption or waste of public funds alleged to senior officials, according to ANI.
The Prosecutor General's Office has ordered an investigation into "All the ministers of successive governments since 1990 to date", while the financial prosecutor has prosecuted the head of customs Badri Al-Daher. For his part, the head of state assured Wednesday that the next government would include "Competent ministers and safe from any suspicion of corruption".
