Disgruntled depositors rioted outside the Central Bank building in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday, RIA Novosti reported.
A Lebanese association of depositors organized a demonstration against the country's central bank circulars. Demonstrators burn tires and shoot firecrackers at the institution. The depositors accuse the Central Bank of crimes against the Lebanese people.
The demonstrators hold posters calling themselves the depositors' party and demanding that the Central Bank stop "cutting" deposits. One of the posters read: "We are the Party of Depositors. The most honest of all the parties.
Al-Jadeed TV reports that there is a heavy military and security presence in the Hamra neighborhood, where many of the banks are located.
Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun stepped down at the end of October 2022 after six years in power despite the fact that at the time no other head of state had been elected by parliament. The president's duties were entrusted to a transitional government headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Lebanon's parliament failed to elect a new president after 11 attempts.
Lebanon has been in a deep financial and economic crisis for more than three years, which is complicated by political and social tensions. The banking system is almost completely paralyzed amid the crisis, and the national currency has depreciated sharply against the dollar. The exchange rate of the Lebanese pound on the black market dropped to 100 thousand for one US dollar. As a result, more than 70% of the population found themselves below the poverty line.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Rami Mohsen/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from RIA Novosti