Follow Us on Google
Hundreds of Lebanese anti-government protesters on Tuesday vowed to stop lawmakers from reaching parliament to cast a vote of confidence in the new cabinet.
Protesters gathered on roads leading to the heavily guarded parliament in central Beirut.
They carried placards reading No Confidence, putting their rejection of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his 20-member cabinet on full display.
Lebanon has been hit by protests since Oct. 17, leading to the resignation of Saad Hariri as prime minister almost two weeks later.
Protesters have called on all Lebanese to march Tuesday towards the parliament to prevent lawmakers from reaching the building.
Hundreds of Lebanese army soldiers and anti-riot police were deployed around the parliament to thwart attempts by protesters to obstruct the two-day scheduled session, in which they will also discuss the government’s policy agenda.
Demonstrators managed to remove one of the large cement blocks in the area, which prompted anti-riot police to confront them by firing tear gas and water cannon.
On Jan. 21, Diab formed a new 20-member government that aims to tackle the worst economic crisis in the country since the civil war 1975-1990.
The protesters have rejected Diab because he was supported by the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its main ally President Michel Aoun.(dpa/NAN)
