Lebanon on brink of collapse, warns top lawmaker

Cairo: Failure to institute a new government in Lebanon pushes the country to the brink of collapse, warned speaker of Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri.

Lebanon is experiencing its worst financial crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, compounded by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Last October, ex-premier Rafik Al Hariri was designated to form a government. But he has since failed to cobble together a cabinet amid a public row with President Michel Aoun.

“Lebanon is threatened with collapse if the situation remains as it without a government,” Berri said.

Pay attention

“We cannot reach the shore of safety without an executive authority to shoulder its responsibilities in preventing Lebanon’s fall,” he added in remarks carried by Lebanese media.

He said that whole Lebanon is in “extreme danger” without a new government. “The situation dictates that all political factions to pay attention.”

Last August, Lebanon saw a deadly explosion at the Beirut port that also devastated large parts of the city and fuelled public outrage against the country’s ruling class.

In the aftermath, the government resigned, but has continued to act in a caretaker capacity amid increasing financial problems.