The Lebanese Minister of Information, Manal Abdel Samad, announced her resignation from the government on Sunday morning.
Citing the inability to achieve the change that the popular movement has been calling for, Abdel Samad made the announcement in a press conference.
“I apologize to the Lebanese whose aspirations we were unable to fulfill … Change has remained elusive,” she declared in her resignation statement.
Abdel Samad’s decision to step down from her ministerial position came following the realization that “reality did not match the ambition we were seeking,” and after “the horror of the disaster caused by the Beirut earthquake that shook the nation’s entity.”
It also came in response to “the popular will for change,” and in reverence toward “the souls of the martyrs, the pains of the wounded, the missing, and the homeless,” she said.
With that in mind, “I am offering my resignation from the government, wishing for our beloved country, Lebanon, its recovery as soon as possible, and to walk the path of unity, stability, and prosperity…” Abdel Samad concluded.
The official’s resignation is the latest addition to a series of resignations that started with the Minister of Foreign affairs prior to the Beirut explosion and intensified in light of the horrific event.
Several MPs have since stepped down from Parliament, including Paula Yacoubian and Samy Gemayel.
Notably, rumors about Manal Abdel Samad’s resignation have been in the air ever since former Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti quit earlier this week.
Local media reported that in accordance with Decree No. 6172, issued on March 5th, 2020, Minister of Public Works and Transport Michel Najjar will be assigned as Acting Information Minister to fill for the resigned minister.
