FILE PHOTO: PM Saad Hariri hands President Michel Aoun resignation at the Baabda presidential palace Beirut on October 29, 2019 bowing to nearly two weeks of unprecedented nationwide protests. AFP / Dalati And Nohra handout
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s outgoing prime minister is harshly criticizing the party of the country’s president after weeks of delay in forming a new Cabinet.
A statement released Sunday by Saad Hariri’s office called the policies of Michel Aoun’s party "irresponsible.”
Almost three weeks after Hariri resigned amid massive anti-government protests, Aoun has yet to call for consultations with parliamentary blocs’ leaders to name a new premier.
Nationwide demonstrations began on Oct. 17 against new taxes amid a plunging economy. They’re now calling for the downfall of the political elite who have run the country since the 1975-90 civil war.
Some major factions in Lebanon’s sectarian political system want to keep Hariri in the new government. But they want him to form a cabinet of politicians and technocrats. He’s insisting on only technocrats.
