Beirut: «Gulf» agencies
In light of the political crisis and the parliament’s failure to elect a new president for the republic, the economic-living concern in Lebanon precedes the official concern, with the deterioration of the local currency exchange rate, the dollar’s exchange rate exceeding 40 thousand Lebanese pounds, and the almost complete power outage, in parallel with facing a deteriorating health situation. The country is facing it with an increase in cholera cases, while the caretaker government has declared that water and agricultural products are free of the disease.
Yesterday, Saturday, the prices of the US dollar in Lebanon witnessed a significant rise once morest the Lebanese pound on the unofficial black market, in the early morning trading.
The exchange rates on the black market vary from time to time, and from one city to another as well, while observers indicate that the continuation of the political crisis will increase difficulties and paralyze state agencies from fulfilling their obligations.
The Lebanese economy is facing great difficulties during the last three years, which have put the country’s currency in a critical situation, especially in light of the continued ambiguity of the political situation.
severe liquidity crisis
Since 2019, the Lebanese pound has begun to gradually decline once morest the US dollar, coinciding with an acute liquidity crisis and banks stopping providing depositors with their money in dollars. The Lebanese pound lost 90% of its value, due to the financial collapse, which entered its third year and led to widespread poverty, paralysis in the financial system, and the freezing of depositors’ savings in the largest crisis in Lebanon since the civil war between 1975 and 1990.
In light of this economic crisis, the unprecedented political vacuum is likely to further delay reaching any agreement on resolving the crisis and approving the necessary reforms, which deepens the plight of the Lebanese people.
In addition, the head of the “Lebanese Forces” party, Samir Geagea, confirmed that the challenges are difficult and the confrontation is very great, given that we are facing a group of forces, some of which are non-sovereign and do not want the establishment of the state in Lebanon. Geagea stressed, in statements published yesterday, that the “Lebanese Forces” have no problem with any team or personality capable of doing anything in order to save the country, nor does it distinguish between a new generation or an old one or the son of a political or non-political family. The only criterion for it, and there is no substitute for it, is “who can carry out any serious work that is in the interest of Lebanon.”
Cholera problem
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health announced, in a report published yesterday evening, Saturday, regarding cholera cases in Lebanon, announcing the registration of 5 new infections, raising the cumulative number to 600, while no deaths were recorded, and the cumulative number of deaths was 20.
The Minister of Public Health in the caretaker government, Firas Al-Abyad, confirmed that what was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Haj Hassan, and the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and the North, Tawfiq Dabbousi, that vegetables and fruits are free of cholera following the tests conducted by the quality and food safety laboratories in the room on samples taken from All of Lebanon, which is a reassuring matter for all the Lebanese, praising the laboratories of the Tripoli Chamber, which work professionally and put their capabilities at the disposal of the people.
Al-Abyadh said, during a visit he made to Tripoli in the north: “The main concern for us today is to confront cholera, as the Ministry of Health is making great efforts to limit this epidemic, and everyone knows that the tests that are being conducted are to ensure that water and products, whether agricultural, food or cholera, which is very important.”
