Lebanese Forces MP Ziad Hawat expressed his bloc’s disapproval of the 2024 Budget that is set to be presented to Parliament, stating that “we participated in all sessions of the Finance and Budget Committee, and our position is clear. We reject hitting people’s pockets and destroying the private sector after the public sector was destroyed.”

Hawat emphasized that “the budget will not pass, and we agree with MP Ibrahim Kanaan on this point despite our political differences.” He called for “civil disobedience if the current version of the budget is approved.”

Hawat also stressed on the importance of delaying the dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, stating that Lebanon is in need of a leader amid the “chaos in the region.”

“Is it permissible for Hezbollah and others to involve Lebanon in these problems while the state has affirmed its commitment to Resolution 1701? The country has been kidnapped, and they want to subject us to their will,” he added.

“We are living through a deadly presidential vacuum, and chaos prevails in all institutions. The fundamental problem is the absence of the head of the pyramid, and the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the Speaker of Parliament to call for a session to elect a president as soon as possible,” he concluded.