Economics
Lebanon Warned of Implosion as IMF, World Bank Plead for Reforms
- ‘Politicians need to stop and listen,’ says WB’s Ferid Belhaj
- IMF head says government must respond to protesters’ demands
Protesters ram concrete barricades near parliament in Beirut, Lebanon, on Feb. 11.
Photographer: Hasan Shaaban/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Lebanon is at risk of “implosion” unless it develops a new governance model that’s less corrupt and more transparent than today’s system, according to the World Bank.
“Politicians need to stop and listen,” Ferid Belhaj, the World Bank’s most senior official for the Middle East and North Africa, said in an interview in Dubai on Sunday. “You cannot continue doing what you’ve been doing for years when you see what the reaction on the street is and when you see what the state of the economy is.”