Live
Audio Only
Thousands of citizens have been demanding the resignation of President Michel Aoun.
Lebanon's Health Minister Hamad Hassan Monday announced the Cabinet resignation amidst protests in Beirut against the political and economic crisis.
RELATED:
Lebanon Explosion: At Least 78 Dead and 4000 Injured in Beirut
"All the 20 Cabinet members resigned," Hamad said at the end of a ministers meeting on Monday.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab will present the resignment on behalf of the cabinet members at the Presidential Palace.
Diab will address the country at 19h30 local time. It is expected that this he also announces his resignation.
The news came after a weekend of intense protests, which were sprayed with tear gas by the police in an attempt to contain the crowd.
On August 3, one day before the explosion in Beirut, Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti became the first official to resign. "We are at risk of becoming a failed state," he assured.
CCTV footage from a shop in Beirut showing the impact of the explosion in Beirut #Lebanon #Beirut pic.twitter.com/650AUKaCX3
— CNW (@ConflictsW) August 6, 2020
Information Minister Abdel Samad, Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm, Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni, and Environment Minister Damianos Kattar announced their resignations early in the Monday morning. Nine lawmakers also resigned from office.
According to the Lebanese legislature, if seven ministers of the 20 Cabinet ministers resign, a new government must be formed.
Over the last months, the country has been going through its worst financial crisis in decades. The government, which is backed by the military group Hezbollah, was struggling to develop reforms to revive the country's economy.
Thousands of people have been mobilizing in Beirut after the blast that left 160 dead and at least 6,000 injured, to demand the resignation of President Michel Aoun.
Newsletter
