Mikati convened the Council of Ministers after the extension of the winter time application, especially after the reactions from the Christians.
Making a statement on the subject after the meeting, Mikati said, “The decision to extend the winter time application until the end of Ramadan was taken after intense meetings with the participation of the relevant parties and aimed to relieve those who fast during Ramadan.”
Mikati, who stated that the postponement of the transition to daylight saving time was not related to a “sectarian” situation and described the reactions to it as “ugly”, stated that the implementation of daylighting and moving the clocks forward would be implemented within 48 hours.
Lebanese were faced with two different time zones
Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati announced on 23 March that daylight saving time would be implemented on 20 April.
The government did not show any reason for the postponement of the application, which is started in March every year in order to benefit more from daylight, but it was evaluated that this was done due to the month of Ramadan.
Mikati, in his previous statement, stated that he regretted that the decision to extend the winter time application by one month was taken in a sectarian direction, and said that the reason was purely “administrative”.
In its statement on the subject, the Christian Maronite Church in Lebanon announced that they would not comply with the decision to postpone the daylight saving time.
After the church, statements came from Christian non-governmental organizations, schools and political parties that this decision of the government would not be followed and that summer time would be started.
Due to the controversial decision, the Lebanese were faced with two different time zones.