BEIRUT, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 23 security troops and 54 protesters were injured during their clashes from Saturday midnight until early Sunday morning, a local media outlet reported, citing internal security forces and civil defense.
Protesters attempted to break into the parliament in downtown Beirut by pushing through steel barriers, prompting riot police and security forces to fire tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators, according to Elnashra, an online independent newspaper.
The clashes came in the wake of the talk of renaming resigned Prime Minister Saad Hariri for the formation of a new government.
Hariri resigned in late October following nationwide protests aimed at achieving a complete change in Lebanon's ruling political class.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun is expected to hold parliamentary consultations on Monday to appoint a new prime minister capable of forming a government strong enough to make serious economic reforms that would save the country.
Protesters, however, rejected Hariri and called for the appointment of an independent and professional figure that can implement reforms in a serious manner.
