Following Beirut’s explosion, French President Emmanuel Macron dropped down in Lebanon for a one-day visit. He toured the sites affected by the blast and held a crucial meeting with Lebanon’s senior officials.
During his visit, he gave Lebanese politicians until September 1st to create needed changes according to a ‘new political pact‘, changes that, according to him, would help officials “rebuild trust, confidence, and hope.”
“I am going to propose to them [the state officials] a new political pact this afternoon, and I will return September first, and if they don’t know how to hold it, I will take my responsibilities with you,” he said to the people of Beirut.
Days after he left, the previous Lebanese government resigned as a whole.
Now, President Macron is pushing Lebanon’s leaders to resort to an “interim technocratic government” that will make serious reforms, which the previous government was not able to make.
“The outgoing government comprised mostly technocrat ministers but these were nominated by sectarian leaders who exerted influence on them and obstructed reforms,” reported Reuters. “Politicians fear reforms would end their system of patronage.”
President Macron sees this as the only way the current leaders could “win back public confidence and persuade donors to release billions of dollars in aid.”
The new government will have the grueling task of taking Lebanon out of its current miserable state.
And more than that, it would have to work hard to gain the trust of the Lebanese people, who have tired of newly chosen officials that only act as pawns to the higher up leaders of the regime.
