Lebanon justice minister third to quit since blast

Marie-Claude Najm, Lebanon’s justice minister, becomes the third cabinet member to resign in protest against the Beirut explosion, reported AFP. Lebanon’s environment minister, Damianos Kattar, and the information minister, Manal Abdel Samad had stepped down earlier owing to the same.

According to a report in ‘Your Local Guardian,’ if a total of seven ministers resign, the government would automatically become a caretaker government.

The head of the Maronite Church of Lebanon called on the entire government to step down over the blast, widely regarded as evidence of the rot at the heart of the state.

The Maronite patriarch also joined hands with the people in pressuring the government to step down. The protesters vowed to rally again after a night of street fighting in which several ministries were stormed.

Two explosions occurred on the afternoon of August 4, 2020, at the port of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital city. It seems to have been triggered by a fire that has triggered a stockpile of explosive material that has been stored at the port since 2013. The incredibly powerful second blast resulted in the result of at least 220 people and huge amount of property damage, leaving an estimated 300,000 homeless.

The blast, combined with a serious economic downturn, the Lebanon’s government has been constantly blamed for its corruption and misrule.