Lebanese President Michael Aoun Says He Will Not Resign Following Beirut Blast

Lebanese President Michael Aoun will not step down despite calls for his resignation following the deadly Beirut blast on Aug. 4. In a recorded interview on Saturday, Aoun said it would be “impossible” for him to resign considering the current situation in Lebanon.

“This is impossible because this would lead to a power vacuum,” he said. “The government resigned. Let’s imagine that I was to resign. Who would ensure the continuity of power?” he added.

His interview came after the resignation of the Lebanese government less than a week after the massive explosion in the Lebanese capital. On Monday night, Prime Minister Hassan Diab addressed the nation announcing his and his government’s resignation in the wake of the disaster.

Addressing the calls for his resignation, Aoun said he understood the public rage but explained that the current situation in Lebanon would make it impossible to organize elections that would enable “the true representation of the people.” “If I were to resign, one would need to organize elections right away,” he said. “But the current situation in the country does not allow the organization of such elections,” he added.

Aoun also revealed that the probe into the disastrous Beirut blast had already started but cited that it would not be finished anytime soon. The probe is divided into three parts and is being supervised by the judicial council. Aoun said he had asked an independent magistrate to conduct the probe.

“We had the determination to reach conclusions quickly but we found out that the issues are very complex and require time,” he said.

The Beirut blast wreaked havoc in the city and sparked violent street protests. The source of the fire that caused the 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate to explode at Beirut’s port remains unclear but documents that emerged days later showed that Lebanon’s top leadership, including, Aoun, knew about the hazardous chemicals that had been stored in the port for years.

The explosion damaged much of the city and left 180 people dead. More than 6,000 were also injured from the blast. The United Nations recently launched a $565 million aid appeal to help rebuild Beirut.