Mikati postpones cabinet session as armed forces retirees protest salaries

Retired members of the armed forces protested Friday their low salaries at Beirut's Riad al-Solh Square, blocking the road leading to the Grand Serail ahead of a cabinet session at the Serail in downtown Beirut.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati postponed the session to Tuesday due to a lack of quorum, as some ministers couldn't reach the Grand Serail and the Free Patriotic Movement ministers boycotted the session.

FPM chief Jebran Bassil accused Mikati on Friday of seeking to violate the constitution and the law and MPs of seeking to "legislate in favor of a single person."

Cabinet will likely discuss, from outside its agenda, extending the term of Army chief General Joseph Aoun, ahead of his planned retirement in January.

Parliament is also meeting on Friday and might also discuss Aoun's term as Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan said that Parliament will still discuss Aoun's term extension regardless of what the government decides in its session today.

The retirees protested their salaries that have become too low to cover basic expenses.

All public sector employees, including the members of the armed forces, get paid in Lebanese pounds, while grocery stores and other businesses are now pricing their goods in dollars.

The Lebanese pound has lost more than 98 percent of its pre-crisis value against the greenback since the start of the economic crisis in 2019.