Lebanon is without a cabinet and in the grips of a deepening economic crisis after a two-month-old protest movement forced Saad Hariri to stand down as prime minister on October 29. Anti-government protests continued after Hariri’s resignation, while political parties negotiated for weeks before nominating Diab, a professor, and former education minister, to replace him on December 19. Echoing protester demands, Diab promised to form a government of independent experts within six weeks — in a country where appointing a cabinet can take months. The protests and political deadlock have brought Lebanon to its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. The international community has urged a new cabinet to be formed swiftly to implement economic reforms and unlock international aid.

Source: The Guardian December 28, 2019 18:56 UTC