Lebanon has postponed talks to name a new prime minister following a weekend of violent clashes with anti-government demonstrators in the capital Beirut.

Some 200 people were injured as security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons in some of the worst clashes since a nationwide uprising against the country’s ruling political elite began in October.

Sunday night again saw thousands take to the streets, met by large numbers of riot police. Security officials said the forces were obliged to open fire with tear gas after they were pelted with fireworks and stones.

Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun, announced that consultations with political blocs to name a new prime minister, due to take place on Monday, have been postponed until Thursday.

The move will probably deepen the deadlock sparked by the massive protests, which first broke out two months ago against a dire financial crisis caused by Lebanon’s corrupt and entrenched civil war-era political system.

With the economy floundering, postponing attempts to find a political solution represents “a risky hazard, both for the politicians but even more so for the people”, said Jan Kubis, the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon.

Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Show all 16 1 /16 Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Protestors burn buildings in downtown Beirut The protests in Lebanon began as a spontaneous burst of anger over new taxes. On October 17, mostly young men came on to the streets in the capital Beirut and across the country. They clashed with police and lit fires. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests A large fire is constructed near Lebanon's parliament building The new taxes included a levy on the messaging service WhatsApp. In a country where people were already struggling, it was the final nail in the coffin. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Protesters fight running battles with police Protesters continued to clash with police into the second night. Downtown Beirut became a battleground as volleys of tear gas rained down on demonstrators. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests The joker makes an appearance By the third day, the mood changed. The violence of the first two nights ebbed and numbers swelled. People came out by their thousands across the country. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Protesters occupy an abandoned theatre in downtown Beirut The protesters took control of the streets. They also reclaimed public space that had been off limits to them for years. This image was taken from a grand theatre in downtown Beirut that had been shuttered since the civil war. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Protesters look down from an abandoned building Here, two protesters look towards downtown from the top of a building nicknamed "the egg" for its dome-like structure. It was part of a complex that was under construction when war broke out in 1975, and it has remained empty and off-limits ever since. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests A protester faces off with a police officer Women have played a key role in these protests. They have been on the frontline of demonstrations and sit-ins — which had a marked effect reducing violence. For the first week, police didn't know how to deal with them. In this picture, a woman police officer tries to negotiate with a protester to remove a road block. She was part of a team of women police officers sent out on this day. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests A group of women resists police attempts to remove their sit-in This image was taken during a police attempt to remove people from blocking a road. Again, the presence of woman at the front of the sit-in led to the police abandoning the attempt. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests A woman chants at a roadblock protest on Beirut's ring road Protesters said the road blocks were vital in keeping up pressure on the government. Without them, they would be ignored. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests A living room is set up on one of Beirut's busiest roads Some of the roadblocks were more relaxed than others. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Tens of thousands pack Tripoli's Nour Square The protests may have started in Beirut, but they have sprung up around the country. This photograph was taken in Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city. Protests there have outsized those in the capital Beirut. The city has been called the "bride of the revolution." Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests The crowd looks up as a singer performs for protesters in Tripoli's Nour Square The scenes in Tripoli are even more remarkable given its recent history. For years it has been plagued by extremism and violence. These mass displays of unity in the city's main square every night have done a lot to counter other Lebanese citizens' perception of Tripoli. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Young men take photographs of protests in Tripoli's Nour Square Tripoli is also one of Lebanon's poorest cities. The protests here have been fuelled by desperation of poor people struggling to get by. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Police protect protesters from Hezbollah supporters But the protests have not been without their opponents. As demonstrations entered their second week, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement began to show anger at protesters for their demand that all Lebanon's political leaders stand down. In this image, police stand between protesters and a group of Hezbollah supporters in downtown Beirut. Clashes broke out when they left. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests A group of Hezbollah and Amal supporters attacks peaceful protesters in Beirut The worst violence of the protests came towards the end of the second week. Several hundred supporters of Hezbollah and its political ally Amal attacked protesters who were blocking the main ring road in Beirut. Afterwards, they stormed into downtown and destroyed a protest encampment. Richard Hall / The Independent Lebanon rocked by nationwide protests Protesters pile tent poles in downtown Beirut after they were destroyed by Hezbollah and Amal supporters But the protesters came back to the main square, made a mountain from the poles of destroyed tents and placed a flag in it. The same day, Lebanon's prime minister Saad Hariri resigned, given protesters their first major victory. Richard Hall / The Independent

President Aoun was expected to name the current caretaker prime minister Saad Hariri, who resigned from the post on 29 October, to assume the post again at the head of a government that would include technocrats.

But protesters opposed to such a move turned out in force on Saturday, prompting the violent clashes seen in downtown Beirut.

Demonstrators have instead called for a complete overhaul of Lebanon’s sectarian political system, starting with the introduction of a fully technocratic government.

In a phone call with President Aoun, Mr Hariri requested a delay to Monday’s talks to allow “more consultation on the subject of the government formation”, the presidency said in a statement.

The Lebanese Civil Defence said it transferred 20 injured people to hospitals and treated more than 70 protesters on site on Sunday. The Lebanese army said nine troops were wounded.

Earlier, confrontations overnight between Saturday and Sunday, left more than 130 people injured in Beirut, according to the Red Cross and the Lebanese Civil Defence. The Red Cross said none of the injured were in serious condition and most of them were treated on the spot.

Huge protests erupted across the country in October after the government announced a tax on the popular messaging service WhatsApp – a proposal that was quickly cancelled. But the deeper causes of the protests have been building for years.

Decades of widespread corruption and economic mismanagement by Lebanon’s leaders have brought it to the brink of financial collapse. It is one of the most indebted countries in the world, jobs are scarce, prices are rising and basic services such as electricity and water are intermittent.

Previous outbreaks of unrest in Lebanon have tended to be party political. This time, however, protesters are demanding a complete overhaul of the country’s political system, calling for an end to the sectarian, civil war-era parties that have held on to power through clientelism and gerrymandering.

Across the country, protesters are expressing anger at the failures of all party leaders. “All of them means all of them,” is a popular refrain on the streets.

But the protesters have come up against opposition from supporters of those leaders – particularly the Shia parties Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement.

Supporters of Amal, which is led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, have frequently attacked protesters and their encampments in downtown Beirut. On Sunday evening they again streamed into the city’s downtown and clashed with protesters, before they were separated by the Lebanese army.

The interior minister, Raya Haffar El Hassan, called on Sunday for a “rapid and transparent” investigation into the preceding night’s violence, which saw police accused of using excessive force.

But she also warned the protest movement to be cautious of “infiltrators” seeking to “exploit their rightful demonstrations [and] ignite violent confrontations... for the sake of a political agenda”.