A huge rally of support for Lebanon's President Michel Aoun swarmed the country's presidential palace on Sunday, a rebuke to broader protests that have demanded the wholesale ouster of the country's elite and which have toppled the government.
Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on Tuesday following unprecedented nationwide protests, deepening a political crisis and complicating efforts to enact badly needed economic reforms.
A hugeconvoy of cars, some waving Aoun's orange Free Patriotic Movement party flagsand his portrait snaked across a main highway on Sunday while a sea ofprotesters marched to Baabda palace.
Thoughno immediate estimate of the rally's size was available, many thousands spreadacross a roadway leading to the palace. It was the biggest counter protest tothe wave of demonstrations that have gripped Lebanon since Oct. 17 and whichhave included Aoun's removal among a set of sweeping demands.
"We'rehere to say to Aoun that we love you and renew our trust in you," saidHiyam Khairat at the rally.
In atelevised speech, Aoun, who must now hold consultations with members of parliamentto designate a new premier, said a three-point plan had been drawn up aroundtackling corruption, restoring the economy, and building a civil state.