Marwan Hamadeh

Marwan Hamadeh (Arabic: مروان حمادة; born 11 September 1939) is a Lebanese journalist and politician, who served in various capacities in different cabinets, including minister of education, minister of telecommunications, minister of economy and trade, minister of tourism, minister of health and minister for the displaced.[1] He served as a member of the Lebanese parliament until his resignation, on 5 August 2020, after the explosions in Beirut claiming that the government was "ineffective" to handle the incident.[2]

Marwan Hamadeh
Minister of Education and Higher Education
In office
18 December 2016 – 31 January 2019
Prime MinisterSaad Hariri
Preceded byElias Bou Saab
Succeeded byAkram Chehayeb
Minister of Telecommunications
In office
19 July 2005 – 11 July 2008
Prime MinisterFouad Siniora
Preceded byAlan Tabourian
Succeeded byGebran Bassil
Minister of Economy and Trade
In office
2003 – September 2004
Prime MinisterRafik Hariri
Preceded byBassel Fleihan
Succeeded by
Minister for the Displaced
In office
October 2000 – 2003
Prime MinisterRafik Hariri
Personal details
Born
Marwan Mohammad Ali Hamadeh

(1939-09-11) 11 September 1939
Baakleen, Lebanon
Political partyProgressive Socialist Party
SpouseVanda Barakat
Children2
Relatives
Alma materSaint Joseph University

Early life and education

Marwan Hamadeh, also written as Marouan Hamadé (preferred French transliteration), was born into a Druze family in Baakleen, Chouf district, on 11 September 1939.[3][4] His step brother, Ali Hamadeh, is a journalist who was a member of Saad Hariri's political party and is married to Nadine Jabbour Hamade. His sister, Nadia Tueni, a notable author and French poet, was married to Ghassan Tueni, former UN ambassador and senior editor of the Lebanese daily, An Nahar. Their son, and Hamadeh's nephew, Gebran Tueni, was assassinated in a car bombing in Beirut in December 2005.[5]

Hamadeh holds a law degree, which he earned from Saint Joseph University in 1963.[3] He received a PhD in economy from the same university.[3]

Career and views

Hamadeh started his career as an economic and political editor for An Nahar, L'Orient le Jour and Le Point in 1964 and continued to work for these papers until 1975.[6] He was appointed tourism minister in 1982, and his term lasted for two years.[6] He served as economy minister in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Omar Karami, replacing Nazih Al Bizri in the post.[7] Hamadeh's term lasted from 24 December 1990 to 15 May 1992, and he was succeeded by Samir Makdasi.[7] From 1992 to 1996 he served as minister of health and social affairs in the first cabinet of Rafik Hariri.[6] In the general elections of 1996 he won a seat from Chouf.[6]

In October 2000, Hamadeh was appointed minister for the displaced to the cabinet led by Rafik Hariri.[8][9] Then he was appointed economy minister in cabinet reshuffle in 2003, replacing Bassel Fleihan.[7] Hamadeh was one of three ministers in the cabinet, who were members of the Progressive Socialist Party led by Walid Jumblatt.[10] During this period, Hamadeh was one of the close advisors to Jumblatt.[11]

Hamadeh was one of four members of the Lebanese Parliament who voted against the extension of president Lahoud's term in office in September 2004.[12] Hamadeh, formerly one of Syria's staunchest allies in Lebanon, became a critic of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon after the Resolution 1559 was passed in 2005. Hamadeh and the same three other cabinet members, namely culture minister Ghazi Aridi, environment minister Farès Boueiz and refugee affairs minister Abdullah Farhat, also resigned from office on 7 September 2004 in protest at the constitutional amendment that allowed the three-year extension of then President Émile Lahoud's term.[1][13][14] Finance Minister Fouad Siniora replaced Hamadeh as acting economy minister.[15] From 19 July 2005 to 11 July 2008 Hamadeh served as minister of telecommunications.[16]

In the general elections of 2009, Hamadeh won a seat from the Chouf district.[17]

Assassination attempt

Hamadeh was injured in a car bomb explosion in west Beirut on 1 October 2004 that killed his bodyguard and injured his driver.[12][13] The blast is considered to have been the beginning of series of assassinations of Lebanese politicians and journalists, mostly anti-Syrian figures.[11]

Then Syrian vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam visited Hamadeh at the American University of Beirut Medical Center after the attack.[18][19]

Personal life

Hamadeh is married to Vanda Barakat and has two children from his first wife, Karim Hamadeh, who has two children, and Rania Hamadeh Gemayel. From his daughter Gemayel, Hamadeh has two grandchildren.[6]

References
  1. "Syria Has Not Complied With Troop Demand on Lebanon, Annan Says". The New York Times. 1 October 2004. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  2. "Beirut blasts: Lebanese MP Marwan Hamadeh resigns". Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  3. "Lebanon Who's Who". Arab Gateway. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  4. Are Knudsen (March 2010). "Acquiescence to assassinations in post-civil war Lebanon?". Mediterranean Politics. 15 (1): 1–23. doi:10.1080/13629391003644611. S2CID 154792218.
  5. "Obituary: Gibran Tueni". BBC. 12 December 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. "His Excellency Minister Marwan Mohammad Ali Hamadeh". Arab Decision. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  7. "Former Ministers". Ministry of Economy and Trade. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  8. Gary C. Gambill (August–September 2001). "Lebanon's Shadow Government Takes Charge". Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. 3 (8).
  9. "Hariri Forms Govt". APS Diplomat Recorder. 28 October 2000. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  10. "Lebanese Political Feud Jolts Cabinet". Los Angeles Times. Beirut. AP. 7 September 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  11. Oussama Safa (January 2006). "Lebanon springs forward" (PDF). Journal of Democracy. 17 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2011.
  12. Are Knudsen (2005). "Precarious peacebuilding: Post-war Lebanon, 1990-2005" (PDF). CMI Working Paper. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2013.
  13. Chibli Mallat. Lebanon's Cedar Revolution An essay on non-violence and justice (PDF). Mallat. p. 122. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2012.
  14. "Four Lebanese ministers step down". BBC. 7 September 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  15. Nada Raad; Nafez Kawas (7 September 2004). "4 ministers quit Lebanese Cabinet over amendment". The Daily Star. Beirut. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  16. "Former Ministers". Ministry of Telecommunications. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  17. "Elections in Lebanon" (PDF). IFES. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  18. Charles Glass (4 August 2005). "An Assassin's Land". London Review of Books. 27 (15). Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  19. Mohalhel Fakih (7–13 October 2004). "Lebanon at the crossroads". Al Ahram Weekly. 711. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
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