Macron pushes hard for corruption-free Lebanese government

French leader is seeking a coalition of international support for his ambitious attempt

French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to mediate a new regime in Lebanon. Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing Lebanon's political leaders to install an interim government able to enact reforms, win back public confidence and persuade donors to release billions of dollars in aid.

A Lebanese government source told Reuters that he wants two-time former prime minister Saad Hariri to head this government.

The cost of rebuilding Beirut is estimated at up to $30 billion, money Lebanon does not have. Mr Macron wants to use this as leverage for his reforms.

The French president made his zeal for change clear when he visited Beirut in the aftermath of the devastating port explosions in early August.

A Lebanese youth hugs French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) visiting the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon. Macron arrived to Lebanon to show support after a massive explosion on 04 August

French President Emmanuel Macron listens to a resident as he visits a devastated street of Beirut. AP Photo

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he visits a devastated street of Beirut. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron surrounded by Lebanese servicemen, visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaks with a woman as he visits the Gemayzeh neighborhood, which suffered extensive damage from an explosion on Tuesday. AP Photo

French President Emmanuel Macron visits the Gemayzeh neighborhood, which suffered extensive damage from an explosion on Tuesday that hit the seaport of Beirut. AP Photo

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he arrives at the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron greets people during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron wears a protective face mask as he meets Lebanon's President Michel Aoun following Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon. Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron greets people during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital, on August 6, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. / AFP / ANWAR AMRO

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the crowd during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital, on August 6, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. / AFP / ANWAR AMRO

French President Emmanuel Macron, center, gestures as he visits the Gemayzeh neighborhood, which suffered extensive damage from an explosion on Tuesday that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he visits a devastated street of Beirut, Lebanon, on August 6, 2020 a day after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut Thursday, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. / AFP / POOL / Thibault Camus

A video grab shows French President Emmmanuel Macron, left, speaking with a member of a French rescue team which arrived overnight to support relief efforts at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron visits the site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut. Tele Liban / Reuters

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun meets French President Emmanuel Macron on his arrival at the airport in Beirut. Dalati Nohra/Reuters

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron on his arrival at the airport in Beirut. Dalati Nohra/Reuters

"Lebanon is not alone," Mr Macron tweeted shortly after landing. Dalati Nohra/Reuters

The French president is the first foreign leader to visit the Lebanese capital since an explosion on Tuesday killed at least 137 people. Dalati Nohra / Reuters

Mr Macron said Lebanon was facing a political and economic crisis, and that it would continue to suffer unless it enacted reforms. Reuters

“We must today proceed with reforms to change the system to stop the division of Lebanon, to fight against corruption, to have transparency and truth. This explosion is the consequence of negligence," he said.

Mr Macron is seeking a coalition of international support for his mediation, and has already spoken to Russia and Iran – which both have ties to armed Shiite group Hezbollah.

American support will also be crucial, both at a geopolitical level and within the International Monetary Fund. Lebanon entered talks with the IMF in May after defaulting on foreign currency debt but the negotiations stalled in the absence of reforms.

Obstacles in the path of regime change

Moves by the French leader to intercede in the divided country will be welcomed by the supporters who mobbed Mr Macron on his visit to Beirut – with one man telling him: “We don't want the [aid money] to go to our government." But the task won’t be straightforward.

Suspicions Mr Macron is seeking undue influence prevail, and a senior Lebanese politician source told Reuters that the French head of state is acting as a de facto president.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun and the country's Christian parties are said to oppose Macron's proposal, according to the source.

If Lebanon's factions won't eventually bend to donors' demands, French lawmaker Loic Kervran, who chairs the France-Lebanon committee, said sanctions could be imposed, including asset freezes or travel bans on the elite, some of whom own upmarket property in Paris.

"Lebanese politicians travel a lot, and they travel a lot to Paris," Mr Kervran said. "It's an important pressure tool."