Lebanese security forces fired tear gas in Beirut on Tuesday and used water cannons to disperse demonstrators near the parliament, which must study the government's roadmap before a vote of confidence, according to an AFP correspondent.
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Hundreds of protesters mobilized early Tuesday morning in downtown Beirut try to prevent access to the parliament of deputies, denouncing the new government led by Hassan Diab who does not meet the aspirations of the dispute.
Before proceeding to the vote of confidence, the Parliament planned two sittings, which will begin Tuesday and Wednesday at 11:00 (09:00 GMT), to question the ministers and study the " ministerial declaration ", the roadmap which presents the broad outlines of the program government.
Lebanon has been shaken since October 17 by an unprecedented protest movement, which has castigated the entire political class accused of corruption and incompetence, in a country on the brink of economic collapse. The security forces have reinforced their system around the Parliament, including concrete walls to block several roads in the city center.
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This did not prevent the demonstrators from gathering at the entrance to several avenues leading to the Parliament, and clashes erupted on one of these paths, the demonstrators throwing stones at the police who responded with tear gas and water cannons, according to the AFP correspondent.
On another avenue, protesters sat on the ground to cut the route that could be taken by the deputies, but the army intervened to evacuate them. A protester told local television that they had been beaten. Despite the mobilization, deputies managed to rally the Parliament.
Fierce opposition to the new government
According to local media, the demonstrators blocked the procession of a minister, throwing eggs at his vehicle and chanting " resign, resign ".
On Twitter, the army estimated that " acts of vandalism and attacks on public and private property taint the demands (of the dispute), do not allow these demands to be fulfilled, and do not represent a freedom of expression ".
" I'm here to say" no confidence "to this government, because the way it was formed means that we cannot trust it, " said Carole, mobilized Tuesday morning in central Beirut.
The protesters demanded a government of technocrats, completely independent of the political class.
The current team, which includes figures unknown to the general public, was formed after several weeks of tough negotiations between the parties which enjoy the majority in Parliament, ie the Shiite movement of Hezbollah and its allies, notably the Cour Patriotique Libre (CPL) of President Michel Aoun.