Hariri gave his government 72-hour-deadline to come up with solutions to end the crisis.
Rabat – Responding to the wave protests across several Lebanese cities for the fifth consecutive day, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Monday, October 21, a set of resolutions to put an end to tensions in the country.
“We will cut the salaries of ministers and MPs by 50%,” Hariri said.
He stressed that the 2020 budget does not contain any new taxes, adding that the government is working on a draft law to retrieve the looted funds
El Hariri’s statements came in a televised speech aired live on all local TV stations. Protesters who had gathered in central Beirut chanted, “The people want to bring down the regime.”
The government’s mismanagement of a deepening economic crisis and a new tax proposal have prompted Lebanese people to take to the streets to demand the government step down.
Addressing protesters, he argued that the decision to end the protests is on their own hands.
“These decisions are not for exchange. I am not going to ask you to stop protesting and stop expressing your anger. This is a decision that you take.”
Hariri added that the country’s central bank and the banking sector will help reduce the deficit by about $3.4 million in 2020.
The government will give $160 million as housing loans to revive the struggling construction sector and will also distribute millions of dollars to families living in poverty.
Lebanese activists continued to insist on the overhaul of the political system as a response to Hariri’s statements.
Earlier on Monday, the Lebanese presidency announced that the cabinet approved Hariri’s initiative to end the crisis. The cabinet met at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Beirut.
On Friday, October 18, Hariri gave his government a 72-hour deadline to come up with motivating solutions to overcome the crisis.
