(Bloomberg) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Thursday he supported the creation of a government of experts to lead the country out of crisis and pledged to dedicate the rest of his term to ending a sectarian power-sharing system he blamed for the nation’s ills.
In a televised address, Aoun said previous governments dominated by political parties were stymied by divisions and had failed to meet the aspirations of the public.
He stopped short of setting a date for binding parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister, however, after Saad Hariri stepped down in the face of two weeks of nationwide protests that have engulfed the country.
“I pledge today to exert all efforts to build a modern, civil state and uproot sectarianism, which is the weakest link of our community and nation, and the first step toward that is a civil status law,” he said.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters who’ve taken to the streets in recent weeks have demanded the ouster of an entire political class they blame for endemic corruption and economic mismanagement, calling for a smaller cabinet comprised of technocrats who can lead the country to early elections. As the protests have gained traction, so have calls to end a quota system that divides political posts up among the country’s myriad sects.
Efforts to end the sectarian system have faced opposition in the past from religious and political leaders concerned their communities would lose influence without such protections.