Protesters took to the streets of Lebanon late Tuesday night, blocking roads with burning tires to vent their rage against a speech by President Michel Aoun in which he said the country faced a catastrophe if protesters did not go home.
Protesters have been demanding the ouster of a generation of politicians seen by demonstrators as inefficient and corrupt, in a movement that has been largely peaceful.
One man was shot dead south of Beirut after the army opened fire to disperse protesters blocking roads.
An army statement said the man was shot in the Khaldeh neighborhood after an altercation during which a soldier opened fire to disperse the crowd, hitting one person. It said the army command had opened an investigation into the killing after arresting the soldier.
The man was identified as a local official with the Progressive Socialist Party headed by Walid Jumblatt, political leader of Lebanon's Druze community. It was confirmed by the party's Al-Anbaa newspaper.
Jumblatt told an angry crowd outside the hospital where the man died of his wounds to calm down, saying that "no one will protect us but the state." He added that he spoke with the army chief and was told about the investigation.
Addressing protesters in his interview, Aoun said: “If you continue in this way, you will strike Lebanon and your interests.”
“We are working day and night to get the situation in order. If they keep going, there is a catastrophe. If they stop, there is still room for (us) to fix things,” he said.
He said there could be further delays before a new government is formed.
He said it could take days to set a date for consultations with heads of parliamentary blocs for the naming of a new prime minister and added that the best option is for the new cabinet to include both politicians and technocrats.
Protesters have demanded a cabinet without politicians.
“A technocrat government cannot define the policy of the country ... and I back forming a government that is half political and half technocrat,” Aoun said. “I met Hariri and I found him hesitant between yes and no.”
Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned his government OctOber 29 in response to the unprecedented nationwide protests since the middle of last month. The protests have snowballed into calls for the government to resign and for the entire political elite that has governed Lebanon since the end of its 1975-90 civil war to step aside.
Protesters are demanding a government made up of technocrats that would get immediately to work on the necessary reforms to address the worst economic and financial crisis Lebanon is passing through in decades.
Asked if Hariri would form the new government, Aoun said: "I cannot say before the consultations end."
When asked about the protesters and their demands, he said: "I invited them for a dialogue but did not hear back from them."
He urged protesters to go back to their homes because demonstrations are blocking work in the country.
The president also warned that a negative attitude of protesters "will lead to counter negative attitude and this could lead to confrontation."
"If you are going to continue this way (protesting) you will be striking at Lebanon, striking at your interests and we will all lose," Aoun said.
Linda Boulos Mikari, protesting on a road north of Beirut, said Aoun’s interview had brought her back onto the street.
“We are tired of the authorities always (acting) as if we are doing nothing. The president goes live and talks to us as if we are children, ‘go home’. Respect us a little,” she said.
Commercial banks, seeking to avoid capital flight, have been imposing tight restrictions on financial transfers out of Lebanon and US dollar withdrawals.
Banks, which were closed for half of October during the protests, shut their doors again on Tuesday in strike action by bank employees who are concerned about security risks posed by depositors demanding their money and protesters.
The strike will continue on Wednesday.
Aoun called on the Lebanese not to rush to the banks, saying their money was safe.
The United Nations urged Lebanon to form a competent new government better able to seek international aid and warned the country was in a critical financial and economic situation.
