Macron criticises ‘failing’ Lebanon politicians at fundraiser

French president renews call for formation of government able to implement reforms in crisis-hit Lebanon during donor conference on anniversary of Beirut port explosion.

French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised a “failing” Lebanese political class he blamed for their country’s economic turmoil as he opened an international donors’ conference on the first anniversary of a massive explosion that ripped through Beirut’s port and devastated much of the capital. Lebanon’s cabinet resigned in the wake of the August 4, 2020, disaster and has been acting in a caretaker capacity since then, while the country’s currency collapsed, jobs disappeared and banks froze accounts in what lenders have called one of the most severe financial crises of modern times. Political squabbling has blocked the formation of a new cabinet that is needed to unlock international aid, even as Lebanon sinks deeper into turmoil.