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After nine months of waiting, Lebanon has neither a government nor accountability

As Saad Hariri steps down, anger is still growing at a political class that has led the country into an ever deeper financial crisis. But how can anger be harnessed into political change?

By Walid el Houri
After nine months of waiting, Lebanon has neither a government nor accountability
Lebanese soldiers push back relatives of the victims of the 4th of August massive explosion at Beirut's port, during a protest near the house of Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri | Marwan Namaani/dpa/Alamy Stock Photos. All rights reserved
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After almost nine months of bickering among Lebanon’s ruling parties over shares in the government while the country’s economy and the lives of its inhabitants were going into ruin, Lebanon's prime minister designate Saad Hariri has declared his decision to step down having failed to form a new government.

Saad is the son of the former prime minister and billionaire, Rafic Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005, and who was the architect of the country's catastrophic economic and financial system.

This would have been Saad’s third tenure as prime minister: he resigned under pressure from mass protests in 2019, and has failed in his post twice already.

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