New women leader of National Bloc Party blames the regime for current crisis

Salam Yamout, who was sworn in yesterday as the new head of the National Bloc Party, held the government fully responsible for negligence in addressing the financial, economic and social crisis in the country. She pointed out that after two months of the revolution, the people and the ruling authorities are still far apart. Yamout uncovered the program of her party to face the disastrous situation from four axes: strengthening the social safety net; curbing the financial spiral down; stopping embezzlement of funds; fighting corruption and recovery of looted public funds, as well as the enactment of a fair electoral law. Yamout said the solutions are there but the predicament lies in their implementation, saying: “We have to put the right team in the right place, meaning a government of technocrats from outside the ruling elite.” In conclusion, Yamout pointed out that Lebanese women have suffered enough from the discriminatory and bigoted laws, stressing that women alone can break down the actual and mental barriers in society and unite their dreams. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, December 19, 2019)