Beirut: Hundreds of Lebanese protested on Sunday in the country's capital Beirut and other areas over the economic crisis that has worsened over the past two weeks, with a drop in the local currency Lebanese pound for the first time in more than two decades.
Some of the protesters in Beirut's downtown blasted Lebanese political leaders, blaming them for widespread corruption in the country of four million.
Lebanon has one of the highest debt ratios in the world standing at $86 billion or more than 150% of the country's gross domestic product.
Despite tens of billions of dollars spent since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990, the country still has crumbling infrastructure including daily hourslong electricity cuts, trash piles in the streets and most residents buy water through tanker trucks as water supplies from the state-owned water company are not enough.
Last week, the local currency reached 1,650 pounds to the dollar at exchange shops after it had been stable at 1,500 since 1997.
Although the official price is still pegged at 1,500 pounds to the dollar, people find it difficult to get hard currency at this rate from local banks.
The protesters gathered shortly before noon on Sunday in the central Martyrs Square then marched toward the government headquarters where riot police were deployed.
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