Beirut
Lebanon’s cabinet on Monday approved a raft of economic reforms and agreed on the 2020 budget, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said, after growing protests fuelled calls for his government’s resignation. Speaking in a televised press conference after a cabinet meeting, the premier said the measures were not merely an attempt to quell demonstrations. “These decisions are not designed as a trade-off. They are not to ask you to stop expressing your anger. That is your decision to make,” he said. “Your movement is what led to these decisions that you see today,” he added. The protests which started five days ago over tax hikes have evolved into an unprecedented push to remove Lebanon’s entire political leadership.
