Diab Announces Govt. Resignation, Slams Corruption, Political Class
Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday announced his government’s resignation, amid widespread public fury at the country's ruling elite over last week's devastating explosion in Beirut.
The move risks opening the way to dragged-out negotiations over a new Cabinet amid urgent calls for reform.
“This disaster is the result of chronic corruption,” Diab said in an address to the nation, referring to the port disaster.
“The corruption network is bigger than the state,” the resigned PM added, lamenting that some only care about “populist speeches.”
“Some did not properly interpret the October 17 revolution. That revolution was against them,” Diab went on to say.
He decried that “a (political) class resisted through all dirty means to prevent change,” adding that “they knew that we resembled a threat to them.”
"They should have been ashamed of themselves because their corruption is what has led to this disaster that had been hidden for seven years," he added.
“Today we are heeding people's demand for real change. Today we will take a step back in order to stand with the people,” Diab said.
He added: "I declare today the resignation of this government. May God protect Lebanon," repeating the last phrase three times.
The developments follow a weekend of anti-government protests in the wake of the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut's port that caused widespread destruction, killed at least 160 people and injured about 6,000 others.
Protests were also underway on Monday during Diab’s speech.
Although Diab's resignation had appeared inevitable after the catastrophe, he seemed unwilling to leave and only two days ago made a televised speech in which he offered to stay on for two months to allow for various factions to agree on a roadmap for reforms and early elections. But the pressure from within his own Cabinet proved to be too much amid the resignation of at least four ministers.
The Lebanese want heads to roll over the port tragedy and are asking how a massive stockpile of volatile ammonium nitrate, a compound used primarily as a fertilizer, was left unsecured at the port for years.
Diab's resignation was met with cars honking in the streets and celebratory fire in the northern city of Tripoli.
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10 August 2020, 19:40
Prime Minister Hassan Diab has announced his government's resignation.
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10 August 2020, 19:40
Diab: Today we will take a step back in order to stand with the people.
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10 August 2020, 19:40
Diab: Today we are heeding people's demand for real change.
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10 August 2020, 19:38
Diab: They knew that we resembled a threat to them.
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10 August 2020, 19:38
Diab: A (political) class is resisting through all dirty means to prevent change.
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10 August 2020, 19:36
Diab: Some did not properly interpret the October 17 revolution. That revolution was against them.
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10 August 2020, 19:35
Diab: Some only care about populist speeches.
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10 August 2020, 19:33
Diab: One of the corruption models exploded at Beirut's port.
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10 August 2020, 19:32
Diab: The corruption network is bigger than the state.
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10 August 2020, 19:32
Diab: This disaster is the result of chronic corruption.
10 August 2020, 20:05
16
Bestest Iranian-Syrian appointed Prime Minister-Teacher combo, ever!
11 August 2020, 04:54
02
tric whatever. is your english translator on strike?
and by the way, you are one neurotic character,,,
10 August 2020, 22:35
32
Don't anybody congratulate yourself. They did this on purpose to avoid audits to the Central Bank and commercial banks on who stole all the money.
I have my own suspicions that all the ruling parties (and ex ruling parties) are involved in this bombing to avoid any investigations on all the stolen billions.
Think smart. Don't fall into their traps. Don't blame only one party, this is what they want you to do. They are all guilty with blood on their hands.
10 August 2020, 22:42
43
What they want is to keep fueling sectarian conflict so that they can stay in power. If educated people who post on this site keep falling into this trap (and post ignorant comments such as the one above) , then don't expect that a miracle will save your country. It will continue to go to hell.
11 August 2020, 03:21
41
S.o.s if you're so smart then you should know that that account is a troll account making a parody of how he sees shia. And what are your statistics? Show me proof that lebanese shia are 95% uneducated while other sects are the educated ones? And what good is that education if all those educated non-shia couldn't stop the country from getting robbed, from getting broke and if it made people vote for the same incompetent politicians for years? If the uneducated managed to take over lebanon then what does that say about the so called superior educated ones?
11 August 2020, 04:57
02
as long as the main cancer is not eradicated, more suffering the populace will go thru. and the cancer in question is none other than hizballah.
11 August 2020, 10:14
40
It seems that the only uneducated ignorant person on this forum is s.o.s.
Your money was robbed by your government, your capital was just blown up, and your country does not have enough flour to feed people for more than 2 weeks, and all you can do is post racist comments? Provoke sectarian tension? Shame on you. You have not learned any lessons from the past ignorant idiot, have you?
In any case, this is your country, and I hope that it collapses some more on your head. You are a helpless moron and you deserve to be a slave to your corrupt criminal leaders, which you will always be.
11 August 2020, 14:09
11
s.o.s., I have no sympathy for any politicians or religious leaders whatsoever. They are all guilty and criminals, including the criminal aoun & his company.
In any case, this is your country not mine. All I have are very distant memories. So you can do whatever you want. You can continue to burn it down as you wish and fall into the traps that your leaders dig for you. Unfortunately there is no cure for idiocy, and there are too many people like you.
11 August 2020, 14:17
10
“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims... but accomplices”
You have two choices. Either unite the poor people against the filthy criminals that have ruled the country for 40 years, or keep bickering between yourselves and pay the price forever.
