Lebanon's acting prime minister resigns, endangering reform

Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Acting Prime Minister Mustapha Adib resigned Saturday amid political conflict over forming the next cabinet.

Adib reached a political impasse trying to form a cabinet of independent experts to work on reforms since Muslims and Christians share power in the country and political loyalties usually follow sectarian lines.

"I excuse myself from continuing the task of forming the government," Adib said in a televised speech after meeting Lebanese President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace.

Abib, a Sunni Muslim, former ambassador to Germany and former university teacher, was named to the job on Aug. 31.

The resignation signals a setback for French-led efforts to form a new government aimed at saving Lebanon from economic crisis. Officials in the last government stepped down after the Aug. 4 Beirut port blast, caused by improperly stored ammonium nitrate, killed nearly 200 people.

The country's currency has lost 80% of its value since October amid an ongoing economic crisis and mass anti-government protests. The mass protests slowed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic worsened the economic situation. The Beirut port explosion reinvigorated protests.