THE Lebanon it will pass eventually in daylight saving time on Thursday, March 30, the government announced today, reversing its decision to postpone the time change a month after it caused confusion among the population, with one part of the country refusing to comply.

“The government has decided to stick to its previous decisions regarding the change to daylight saving time (…)” which “will take effect on the night of Wednesday to Thursday”, acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced today, after a cabinet meeting.

The decision to postpone the time change, which was announced two days before the planned switch to daylight saving time from Saturday night to Sunday, had angered politicians and Christian religious leaders and highlighted the country’s communal divide.

“This decision was intended to lighten (the day of) fasting in the month of Ramadan,” which is observed from sunrise to sunset, Mikati explained, deploring the “unacceptable reactions.” religious communities.

If the time were changed from Sunday, Muslims would have to fast another hour as sunset would be an hour later.

After an appeal mainly by the Patriarch of the Maronites, the most powerful Christian community in Lebanon, a part of the country refused to comply with the shift of the time change announced last week.

So the country, which has been plunged into a deep political and economic crisis, woke up to two different times that caused disruptions in international flights or in institutions linked to abroad, as many countries switched to daylight saving time yesterday Sunday.

The two main Christian parties, the Lebanese Forces and the Free National Current, also opposed the prime minister’s decision.

Mikati, a Sunni Muslim head of a resigned cabinet, has been ruling the country de facto since the term of the Republic’s president, a Maronite Christian, ended nearly five months ago.

“Let’s be clear. The problem is not the winter or summer time (…) the problem is the vacancy in the presidency of the Republic”, emphasized Mikati, calling on the deputies to take up their responsibilities and elect a president.

The Parliament has so far met 11 times without being able to elect a president.