Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, announced on Saturday that they were ready to attend meetings of the Lebanese government again, after more than three months of political stalemate exacerbated by the country’s severe economic crisis.
“We announce our agreement to participate in the cabinet meetings for the approval of the national budget and the discussion of the economic rescue plan and all those related to the improvement of the living conditions of the Lebanese,” the two Shiite movements confirmed in a joint statement.
The government, formed in September 2021 after 13 months of endless political negotiations, has not met since October 12 due to tensions over the investigation into the August 4, 2020 catastrophic explosion in the port of Beirut, where more than 200 people lost their lives.
Authorities, which are blamed for criminal negligence, have been accused by the victims’ families and non-governmental organizations of wanting to torpedo the investigation to avoid charges.
The ministers of the strong pro-Iranian Hezbollah and the Amal movement had specifically stated that they would boycott government meetings until Judge Tarek Bitar, the head of the investigation, was replaced.
The political stalemate has exacerbated the country’s economic crisis since 2019, which has been described by the World Bank as the worst in the world since 1850, with an unprecedented devaluation of Lebanon’s currency and impoverishment of the population.
Reacting to the announcement by the two Shiite movements, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he would “convene a cabinet meeting as soon as he receives the draft budget from the finance ministry.”
Hezbollah and the Amal movement say their decision to attend government meetings is a “response to the needs of the people”, citing “the collapse of the Lebanese pound, the decline in the public sector, the collapse of income and purchasing power”. of the population.
Against the backdrop of rampant inflation, almost 80% of Lebanon’s population lives below the UN poverty line, and the local currency has lost more than 90% of its value on the black market.
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