Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Adib fails to form a new government after the explosion

Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Mustapha Adib has abandoned efforts to form a new government amid popular demands for reform.

Adib did not elaborate, but reports say the difficulties centered on Shiite parties seeking to control the Finance Ministry and elect cabinet ministers.

Lebanon, long divided along sectarian lines, is in an acute economic crisis.

It is recovering from last month’s huge explosion in Beirut, which killed at least 190 people and injured 6,000.

The previous Lebanese government resigned amid widespread anger over the explosion, which devastated parts of the capital.

The cause of the disaster was the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored insecurely in a warehouse in the city’s port for six years.

The World Bank has estimated that the explosion caused up to $ 4.6 billion (£ 3.4 billion) in damage to buildings and infrastructure.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been urging Lebanon’s political factions to quickly form a new government.

Macron has offered to host an aid conference in mid-October to help.

Mustapha Adib, the former Lebanese ambassador to Germany, was appointed to the post on August 31.

He went on to say that he wanted an immediate start to reforms and a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund.

But the Sunni Muslim politician appears to have run into a stumbling block with the main Shiite Muslim blocs in the Lebanese parliament.

By Lina Sinjab, BBC Middle East Correspondent, Beirut

Mustapha Adib’s resignation comes as no surprise.

He had the support of a majority in parliament and the backing of Emmanuel Macron.

But the Shiite parties, specifically the Amal movement and Hezbollah, still have the upper hand in politics and the economy in Lebanon, due to their influence in many key sectors, including security and finance, and the lack of an equally Sunni bloc. strong.

His critics say that despite the country’s economic downturn and a near bankrupt state, both Shiite movements are still more concerned with protecting their own interests.

Many believe that without international pressure and the threat to freeze the assets of Lebanese politicians abroad, no one here will make concessions for real change.

Adib reportedly insisted on forming a cabinet of technocrats, while political factions wanted the right to appoint ministers.

After meeting with President Michel Aoun on Saturday, Adib said he was “excusing himself” from the task of forming a government.

He apologized to the Lebanese people for their “inability to realize their aspirations for a reformist team” to save the country, but added that he did not want to head a cabinet that “was destined to fail.”

An unidentified source close to the French president told the Reuters news agency that France would not disappoint Lebanon.

“Adib’s resignation amounts to a ‘collective betrayal’ by the Lebanese political parties,” the source added.

Anti-government protesters have organized massive demonstrations for almost a year, calling for a complete overhaul of the political system.

Power relies heavily on sectarian interests in the country, and successive governments have been accused of ineffective and elitist leadership.

Political appointments and many jobs depend on belonging to one of Lebanon’s countless religious communities, a situation that has led to patronage, cronyism and endemic corruption.

Even before last month’s explosion, the country was in serious financial trouble when the currency crashed, unemployment soared and poverty grew.

The French president visited Lebanon earlier this month and pressured political parties to agree on an apolitical cabinet that would begin the task of rebuilding the country and fighting corruption.

Macron also said he would consider withholding financial aid or imposing sanctions on the ruling elite if there was no real change in the next three months.

He called for credible commitments from party leaders, including a timetable to implement reforms and parliamentary elections within six to 12 months.

The French leader had fully supported Mr. Adib.

After Saturday’s announcement, top Sunni politician and former prime minister Saad al-Hariri warned that “those who applaud the collapse of French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative” would “bite their fingers in regret.”

Lebanon came under French control 100 years ago after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. The country declared its independence in 1943.