The Lebanese army deployed on Sunday near the presidential palace east of Beirut to prevent friction between rival protesters as the cabinet formation stalemate continued. Anti-government protesters had called for a rally Sunday outside the Presidential Palace in Baabda to press President Michel Aoun to formally begin the process of forming a new government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on Oct. 29 amid nationwide protests accusing the political elite of corruption and mismanagement of the economy. The call prompted a counter-rally by supporters of Aoun who called him a “red line.” Soldiers formed a human chain to separate the groups on the highway leading to the palace, preventing clashes. Aoun is yet to call for binding parliamentary consultations to name a new PM. Pro-Aoun protesters stressed that the president should not be insulted and his office should be respected. But Aoun, along with other politicians, has remained the target of anti-government demonstrators who have been protesting since Oct. 17. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters marched toward central Beirut amid a deepening economic crisis. They marched under the slogans “Sunday of Clarity” and “Unity and Solidarity of the Lebanese People”. They called for the formation of a government of technocrats to “take urgent measures in the face of the economic collapse caused by the ruling class.”