Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah Opposes Lebanon Government Change
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement Seyed Hassan Nasrallah dismissed the idea of resignation of Lebanon’s government in the wake of recent protests as a “waste of time”.
In a speech on Saturday, Nasrallah expressed solidarity with the recent anti-corruption demonstrations across Lebanon, but underlined that the economic woes would not be fixed with a change of the government.
He also emphasized that Hezbollah was “determined to work hard” to solve Lebanon’s problems and “not allow anyone to drown this country and take it to the abyss”.
Nasrallah explained that the problems in the country were “systematic” and would not be fixed by a change of government, given that the new government would most probably include the same combination of already existing political factions.
The Hezbollah chief also denounced certain political figures who had been quick to call for a new government, saying that such a thing was only a “waste of time” and that it would take a year or two for the new cabinet to take shape, Press TV reported.
Nasrallah explained that such initiatives were being proposed by factions seeking to evade their responsibilities instead of resolving Lebanon’s hardships.
Lauding the demonstrations for being “spontaneous” and independent from any foreign or domestic political influence, Nasrallah warned participants to beware of the rallies being hijacked by political groups.
He further called for a “new spirit” in addressing the country’s problems which he described as a “problem of confidence” between the government and the populace.
Hezbollah party will avoid intervening in street protests as it seeks to resolve the matter through legal means, he underscored.
Nonetheless, Nasrallah warned that if taxes were to be imposed on the poor or other necessities were to arise, the party would act.
Hezbollah will “be everywhere” and will “change the balance” in the country, Nasrallah said.
His remarks came against a backdrop of three days of nationwide protests over new taxes being examined as part of the country’s 2020 budget.
Protesters demand that politicians provide serious solutions to solve the country’s faltering economy and corruption in government.