Lebanese PM gives gov’t 72-hour ultimatum as riots bring country to standstill

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Title : Lebanese PM gives gov’t 72-hour ultimatum as riots bring country to standstill
Link : Lebanese PM gives gov’t 72-hour ultimatum as riots bring country to standstill

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Lebanon’s premier Saad Hariri on Friday gave his government three days to back key reforms, as massive protests against the political elite and austerity measures rocked the country for a second day.

“I’m setting a very short deadline” of 72 hours, Hariri said in a televised address, as thousands filled the streets of central Beirut.

“Either our partners in the coalition government give a clear, decisive and final response to convince me, the Lebanese people and the international community… that everyone has decided on reforms, stopping waste and corruption, or I will have something else to say,” he added.

Lebanon, which has one of the world’s highest debt to gross domestic product ratios, passed an austerity budget in July.

Tempers boiled over Thursday over plans to introduce a $0.20 tax on calls on messaging applications such as WhatsApp, though it was then scrapped in response to the protests.

On Friday thousands of protesters outraged by corruption and proposed tax hikes burned tires and blocked major highways in Lebanon as the largest demonstrations in years threatened the country’s fragile coalition government.

“The anger is certainly caused by living conditions, but it also stems from political behavior,” Hariri said. READ MORE