Fate of FPM Electricity Protest Not Known as Sehnaoui Mobilizes Supporters
The fate of a protest that the Free Patriotic Movement had called for against severe power rationing was not known on Wednesday although the telecom minister, who is loyal to FPM chief Michel Aoun, said the Lebanese should be ready for a demonstration at any time.
“The citizens should be ready to demonstrate at any moment,” Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui told Voice of Mada without specifying if the FPM would still go ahead with its plans despite the cabinet’s approval on Tuesday of decisions linked to the electricity sector.
Aoun and his son-in-law Energy Minister Jebran Bassil had urged the Lebanese to hold a march to the Grand Serail to protest the alleged obstruction of the implementation of several phases of a $1.2 billion electricity project adopted by the cabinet last September.
Sehnaoui said the government approved on Tuesday “some small steps to resolve the electricity crisis.” But he stressed that it remains to be seen how they will be implemented.
On Tuesday, the cabinet tasked a ministerial committee to study within a week the process of leasing power-generating ships.
Lebanon has been suffering severe power rationing as Bassil has warned that the situation could get worse if the government doesn’t take quick measures to resolve the crisis.
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