Protesters take part in a demonstration in Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 16, 2018. Tens of protesters held a demonstration Sunday in Riad El Solh, downtown Beirut, demanding the prosecution of the corrupt political authority in Lebanon, local media reported. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
BEIRUT, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Tens of protesters held a demonstration Sunday in Riad El Solh, downtown Beirut, demanding the prosecution of the corrupt political authority in Lebanon, local media reported.
"This is only the beginning of a series of measures that will be taken until the political authority assumes its full responsibilities for the economic deterioration," Hanna Gharib, the general secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party, was quoted by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper, as saying.
"We call upon all citizens to forget their political affiliations, take to the streets and demand for their rights of a government free from corruption," Gharib said while heading the protest along with the General Labor Union.
Protesters held up signs saying "No for a failing government," in the presence of a big number of Lebanese army forces.
Lebanon's economy is saddled with one of the world's highest debt-to-GDP ratios as a result of recurring and widening fiscal deficits and economic slowdown.
