As the trauma of the Beirut explosion sinks in, the people have since demanded accountability from its government. However, the resignation of the Lebanese President might be impossible.
It was previously reported that protestors aim to have Lebanese President Michel Aoun resign from his position, following the step down of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and Parliament members.
The desire for government accountability came after they admitted to having knowledge about the neglected 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate inside Hangar 12 within the Beirut Port. This devastation cost more than 150 lives lost, thousands left injured, and even killing 10 firefighters who responded in the initial fire.
Lebanese President Aoun on public’s call for resignation
On Saturday, Lebanese President Aoun spoke with French network, BFM, as CNN reports. During the interview, Aoun addressed the public’s call for him to resign from the position after the Beirut explosion.
He told the French network that his resignation is impossible considering the complexity of the crisis that the country, specifically Beirut, is facing. CNN quotes him on his interview, saying:
“This is impossible, because this would lead to a power vacuum. The government resigned. Let’s imagine that I was to resign. Who would ensure the continuity of power?
“If I were to resign, one would need to organize elections right away. But the current situation in the country does not allow the organizations of such elections.”
Nevertheless, the Lebanese president is open to all “hypothesis,” says Vanguard News Nigeria. Aoun further expressed that he understood his people’s anger. It should be noted the massive twin explosion came when the country was struggling to overcome both its economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although their call for his resignation pained him, says the media outlet. Aoun was quoted, “I am a son of the people. They call me the father of the people.”
Lebanese president calls for independent probing
Furthermore, Aoun addressed the complexity of the investigation for the Beirut blast. As noted before, information emerged that the ammonium nitrate has been sitting in Hangar 12 since 2014 after it was confiscated from a Russian-leased cargo ship.
Then-captain of MV Rhosus, Mr. Boris Prokoshev, has since warned the Lebanese government about how dangerous the goods were. Letters have also emerged online from the customs officials seeking guidance to the country’s judiciary for the proper disposal of the ammonium nitrate.
Nevertheless, the President said that it had requested the “judicial council to supervise the probe,” having an “independent magistrate” investigate the root cause of Beirut’s devastation.
Featured image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons