Lebanon's government is about to collapse

Icon: enlarge

Remembrance of the more than 150 dead, anger at the rulers: During a funeral march, residents of Beirut hold candles and lamps aloft

Felipe Dana / AP

After the devastating explosion in the port of the Lebanese capital Beirut and ongoing protests by the population against political failure and the economic plight, two other ministers have resigned from their offices.

Hours after Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad also resigned Environment Minister Damianos Kattar on Sunday, government circles said. Prime Minister Hassan Diab was apparently trying to prevent other cabinet members from resigning before a meeting scheduled for Monday. Hundreds of people protested for the second day in a row in anger over the massive explosion less than a week ago.

Icon: enlarge

Search team at the detonation crater next to a grain silo in the completely destroyed part of the Beirut port

The government of Lebanon is dissolved if more than a third of the 30 cabinet members resign. That would be the case if five other ministers resign. In a meeting on Monday, Diab wanted to propose to the cabinet that new elections be held, which would normally only take place in 2022.

Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti had already resigned from office last week. He criticized the lack of and too slow reform steps. The International Monetary Fund had imposed specific requirements on Lebanon for further financial aid. However, their implementation is not progressing.

Many Lebanese have completely lost the - anyway hardly existing - trust in the political elite after the explosion, with more than 150 dead and over 6,000 injured. The cause of the huge detonation, which left a crater more than 40 meters deep in the harbor, is said to have been improperly stored ammonium nitrate.

According to eyewitnesses, hundreds demonstrated against the government on Sunday in Beirut. Some threw stones at the parliament building. The security forces used tear gas. They also complain that elections have so far been able to change little in the real power structure in the country, which is strongly divided into sectarian states.

Icon: enlarge

On Saturday violent protests broke out in Beirut, which were repeated on Sunday

Important aid funds were raised for the victims of the explosion, which left up to 300,000 people homeless. At an international donor conference organized by France at the weekend, 252.7 million euros in emergency aid were raised for the badly ailing country.

cht / dpa