National Bloc: The Lebanese Were Promised Electricity, but Received Complete Darkness Instead

Since 2009, when Minister Gebran Bassil assumed the Ministry of Energy and Water, he promised the Lebanese 24/7 electricity. The Free Patriotic Movement has held onto this portfolio ever since. Yet here we are, facing total blackouts and zero electricity supply for the fifth time since 2021.

Despite this disastrous failure, the Free Patriotic Movement continues to justify its shortcomings, alternating between the fabricated excuse of an "American siege" and the refrain of "they didn’t let us." It seems that they, along with the rest of the ruling elite, are determined to cling to power without assuming any responsibility.

The persistent failure of the Ministry of Energy has become the very reason they refuse to relinquish the portfolio—so that any future success cannot be credited to others. We remain trapped in a cycle of political blackmail, even as everything related to energy, water, and dam projects has been nothing short of a complete failure, rising to the level of criminal responsibility for waste and corruption.

Today, Lebanon relies on Iraqi fuel and an agreement with Iraq that has been delayed due to Lebanon's failure to meet its obligations, with responsibility being passed around between the government, the Ministry of Energy, the Central Bank, and Electricité du Liban (EDL) but the outcome remains unchanged.

Recent statements by Minister Walid Fayyad, speaking of "exporting dignity" and the "American siege," only reinforce the detachment from reality and show the extent to which those in power refuse to take any responsibility for their failures, while openly mocking the suffering of the Lebanese people.

While we appreciate the support of Arab countries like Iraq and Algeria, the latter having recently expressed a willingness to provide Lebanon with fuel, the government remains obligated, at the very least, to adopt a coherent and sustainable energy policy. Instead of continuing with theft and allowing cronies to exploit the fuel trade, the focus should be on increasing electricity supply hours—especially since electricity tariffs have already been raised. All the promises of 24/7 electricity have become nothing but a national joke.