The President of the “Lebanese Forces” political party Samir Geagea announced just before midnight on Saturday the resignation of all ministers belonging to the “Lebanese Forces” party, making them the first to yield to the pressures and demands of the Lebanese people protesting on the streets and around the world.
The official statement, preceded by a read introduction covering the current situation in Lebanon, came after a 6-hour meeting of the “Strong Republic” bloc, which took place in the headquarters of the “Lebanese Forces” in Maarab, and included 7 main points.
In the introduction, Geagea acknowledged that the social revolution in the country is unprecedented in the history of Lebanon and that people have lost faith in the government and its ability to save the tragic reality in the country.
Moreover, he recognized that people on the streets do not belong to any sect or party but embody the entirety of Lebanon and the aspirations of all Lebanese.
He also said, “The exceptional circumstances of the country require exceptional and immediate steps. On this basis, the ‘Strong Republic’ bloc held a meeting attended by ministers, deputies, and members of the executive body of the party, and resulted in the following statement:”
@drsamirgeagea“First, since the formation of the government, the ministers of the “forces” have focused on the importance of giving priority to addressing the financial, economic and living conditions through approaches based on the principles of transparency, institution building, and finding practical and immediate solutions to get the country out of its crisis, which did not happen.”
“Second, the Lebanese Forces Party was the only party in the government to vote against the 2019 draft budget because it did not include or coincide with the required reforms.”
@sidaniartworksGeagea continued, “Third, in parallel with the discussion of the draft budget for 2019, it was agreed in principle on a series of measures and reforms to enact and begin implementation before the adoption of the budget of 2020, which did not happen either.”
“Fourth, when discussing the 2020 budget, we called for a basket of parallel and practical reforms immediately, and despite the formation of a ministerial committee to study at our request, and despite the discussions that took place in this committee, we did not see enough seriousness to address matters, commensurate with the seriousness of the situation.”
@beirut_todayAs for the fifth point, Geagea explained, “In light of all this, we have come to the conviction that this government is incapable of taking the necessary steps to save the worsening economic and financial situation. Add to that the range of living crises we have seen in recent days and weeks. From this standpoint, the “Strong Republic” bloc decided to ask its ministers to resign from the government and to ensure that our demand to form a new government is far from the current government majority.”
He continued pointing out, “Sixth, the ‘Lebanese Forces’ are keen on stability, and by the way, they salute the Lebanese army for the civilized and effective role it played in preserving the freedom and security of the demonstrators on one hand, and the public and private properties on the other.”
@louaikiblawiAs for his seventh and last point, Geagea praised the efforts and governance practices of the ministers of the Strong Republic, declaring them “a role model for government action.”
In response to the announcements, demonstrators across Lebanon sang and danced in celebration, while again expressing to the press their intentions to remain actively protesting until all those remaining in the political establishment follow the lead of the “Lebanese Forces” and announce their resignations.
