Plunged into a severe political and economic crisis, Lebanon is torn apart for two days at the transition to daylight saving time, and since this Sunday two time zones have existed side by side.
At 2am it’s 3am. The French and residents of the European Union are used to the transition between winter and summer time, which takes place on the last Sunday in March every year. For its part, Lebanon has been torn apart over the past two days, so this Sunday two time zones coexist in the country.
It all started last Thursday, March 23, when Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati made the decision to postpone the switch to daylight saving time by a month without giving any reason, just two days before the timetable change.
The move has been interpreted by some as a way to shorten the day of fasting in the Muslim month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday, angering Christian religious leaders. A video leaked on social media showed Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shia Muslim, urging the prime minister not to switch to daylight saving time so people who practice the Ramadan fast, which lasts from sunrise to sunset, break an hour earlier can.
Disruptions to international flights
The Maronite Patriarchate, Lebanon’s most powerful Christian community, condemned a decision “taken without consultation” and announced it would not abide by it.
In addition, this last-minute decision caused disruption, as certain companies and institutions wanted to stay on the base time zone and switch to daylight saving time this Sunday. This is particularly true for the network of Catholic schools in Lebanon, but also for the country’s two largest television networks, MTV and LBCI, which stated that the government’s decision to postpone the transition would have had an impact on their proper functioning.
Some international flights were also disrupted, with several countries switching to Daylight Saving Time. The Lebanese airline Middle East Airlines announced that it would “bring forward scheduled flight times by one hour” from Beirut.