After much confusion, clocks in Lebanon are now being changed from winter to summer and not just by a few weeks. By Thursday night, clocks across the country are due to be adjusted to daylight saving time, as Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati explained in a televised address today. Mikati thus reversed a controversial decision to delay the time change until April 20.
With the previous decision, the Prime Minister said he wanted to accommodate those who are fasting in Ramadan. With the longer observance of winter time, they can break their fast an hour earlier. The decision has caused widespread criticism and confusion in Lebanon, which is sharply divided by religion. Many institutions – including the Maronite Church, but also the media and some schools – rejected the decision and put their clocks forward one hour on Sunday night. Since then, there have been two parallel times in the country.
Lebanon is currently stuck in one of the worst economic crises in its history. For months without a president and Mikati’s interim government, the country was able to act only to a limited extent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently declared that the country is at a “very dangerous crossroads”.