The series of resignations from both the Lebanese Parliament and government continues, following the Beirut Port explosion that sent a shockwave through the political system as it did through the Lebanese capital.
Minister of Justice Marie Claude Najm announced her resignation on Monday morning, explaining that her decision came “because of the Beirut explosion and the protests.”
The resigned Minister had previously dismissed the rumors that had been circulating surrounding her potential resignation after Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad stepped down earlier this week.
“Resigning now is an escape from responsibility,” she had stated, noting the importance of delivering the file of the Beirut Port explosion to the Supreme Judicial Council.
Notably, in the aftermath of the explosion, she went down to the street to help the volunteers who had been cleaning roads in Beirut, only to be slammed by the volunteers who demanded that she leaves their side.
In addition to anti-government chants, the angry crowd hurled water bottles at Najm, forcing her bodyguards to escort her away from the scene.
Marie Claude Najm is the third Lebanese minister to resign after the Beirut explosion.
Earlier, shaken by the tragic incident, Environment Minister Damianos Kattar submitted his resignation, following the footsteps of Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad.
8 MPs have also resigned this week, and the number is expected to increase in the near future.
