The following is President Michel Aoun's address to the nation on Friday:
"My Fellow Lebanese ladies and gentlemen,
Everything seems trivial compared to your suffering, which has reached levels that no people are capable of tolerating. Indeed, the pandemic is lurking, and so are poverty, destitution, unemployment, migration, oppression and the slashed purchasing power entailed by the rocketing value of the US dollar versus the Lebanese Pound (Lira); along with the shortage of vital supplies, the decline of subsidies which were for them,and the dilemma that are facing the various constitutional authorities, and the administrations and institutions in charge of securing the essentials of livelihood, while we have not yet got over the tragedy of the Beirut Port explosion and its catastrophic repercussions. Trauma after trauma, and every day brings along its own burdens and concerns, aggravatinganxiety due to the incapacity to sustain the most basic means for a decent life.
I chose to keep quiet in order to make room for solutions at various levels and to avoid any incidententailed by the sharp polarizations and divisions in political stances, as well as the collapse of the economic and financial system due to decades-long wrong policies. Nevertheless, I have gone down the rough road of accountability, in a system where authoritarian and institutional corruption is deep-rooted, and all sorts of roadblocks were thrown before me; and you know well that I am not used to yielding and giving up, in defending your dignity and your decent free living.
Today, driven by my oath, and after Prime Minister designate Saad Hariri has presented the headlines of a governmental draft that does not fulfill the minimum of national balance and pact-adherence, which has dragged the country into the tunnel of stalling, I herebyinvite him to the Baabda Palace to form a cabinet at once, in agreement with me, according to the constitutional mechanism and criteria adopted in the formation of governments, without any pretexts or delay.
Nevertheless, if he finds himself incapable of forming and heading a national rescue government that would stand up to the dangerous situation that the country and the people are going through, then he must clear the way for any person capable of formation.
This will be motivated by his constitutional responsibility and his national and human conscience because such suffering shall have no mercy on those responsible for stalling, exclusion and the eternalization of “caretaking”.
This is a determined and sincere call to the Prime Minister designate to take the lead immediately and go for one of the two available options, whereas there is no use after today to remain silent and stay in strongholds, hoping to save Lebanon.
All positions are vain and deflecting responsibilities onto each other is pointless if the country falls apartand people become prisoners of despair and frustration, indulging in inevitable anger."
"My Fellow Lebanese ladies and gentlemen,
Everything seems trivial compared to your suffering, which has reached levels that no people are capable of tolerating. Indeed, the pandemic is lurking, and so are poverty, destitution, unemployment, migration, oppression and the slashed purchasing power entailed by the rocketing value of the US dollar versus the Lebanese Pound (Lira); along with the shortage of vital supplies, the decline of subsidies which were for them,and the dilemma that are facing the various constitutional authorities, and the administrations and institutions in charge of securing the essentials of livelihood, while we have not yet got over the tragedy of the Beirut Port explosion and its catastrophic repercussions. Trauma after trauma, and every day brings along its own burdens and concerns, aggravatinganxiety due to the incapacity to sustain the most basic means for a decent life.
I chose to keep quiet in order to make room for solutions at various levels and to avoid any incidententailed by the sharp polarizations and divisions in political stances, as well as the collapse of the economic and financial system due to decades-long wrong policies. Nevertheless, I have gone down the rough road of accountability, in a system where authoritarian and institutional corruption is deep-rooted, and all sorts of roadblocks were thrown before me; and you know well that I am not used to yielding and giving up, in defending your dignity and your decent free living.
Today, driven by my oath, and after Prime Minister designate Saad Hariri has presented the headlines of a governmental draft that does not fulfill the minimum of national balance and pact-adherence, which has dragged the country into the tunnel of stalling, I herebyinvite him to the Baabda Palace to form a cabinet at once, in agreement with me, according to the constitutional mechanism and criteria adopted in the formation of governments, without any pretexts or delay.
Nevertheless, if he finds himself incapable of forming and heading a national rescue government that would stand up to the dangerous situation that the country and the people are going through, then he must clear the way for any person capable of formation.
This will be motivated by his constitutional responsibility and his national and human conscience because such suffering shall have no mercy on those responsible for stalling, exclusion and the eternalization of “caretaking”.
This is a determined and sincere call to the Prime Minister designate to take the lead immediately and go for one of the two available options, whereas there is no use after today to remain silent and stay in strongholds, hoping to save Lebanon.
All positions are vain and deflecting responsibilities onto each other is pointless if the country falls apartand people become prisoners of despair and frustration, indulging in inevitable anger."
