Hezbollah warns about power vacuum in Lebanon
Mariam Saleh
Press TV, Beirut
Nationwide protests have been ongoing in Lebanon for more than a week. Protesters have voiced various demands including economic reforms, the ouster of corrupt officials and sweeping changes in the political system.
The protest movement has already prompted the government to approve an emergency reform package to address some of the concerns of protesters over dire economic conditions.
The move was hailed by Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday as an achievement of the protest movement.
However, Hezbollah’s leader also drew a line between genuine protesting and pursing political agendas. He said some groups are exploiting the protests to damage Hezbollah.
Sayyed Nasrallah also called on those protesters who have righteous demands to unite and have specific leadership and clear objectives.
He also rejected calls for the resignation of the incumbent government and snap parliamentary elections, saying such moves will complicate the ongoing crisis in Lebanon.
On the streets many protesters have economic concerns, but some media outlets try to portray the resignation of the cabinet as the main demand of the demonstrators.
This small group of protesters, facing the Central Bank in Beirut, were not given much coverage by the media, but they say that for once they are talking about organizing a committee. They believe one of the main reasons for corruption in the country is the policy of the banking system.
The popular protests were triggered on October 17 by a tax on voice calls over the internet which the government quickly ditched.
Since the start of the protests, schools, universities and offices have remained closed amid the country’s deepening economic crisis.
The popular protests are deemed by many including Hezbollah as an opportunity for people to express their disapproval of the work of the cabinet, yet the leader of the resistance movement says the proposed reform plan could be regarded as the first step toward change and uprooting corrupt officials.
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