Mohammad Safadi

Safadi was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, on 28 March 1944 to Sunni family.[1][2] His family are businesspeople, running their own firm in Tripoli.[3]

He is a graduate of the American University of Beirut where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration in February 1968.[2][4]

Safadi began his career in the private sector in Lebanon in 1969.[5] In 1975 when the civil war broke out in Lebanon, he began to invest in Saudi Arabia.[3][6] Therefore, he has many business investments in Saudi Arabia[7] most of which included the construction of residential compounds.[8]

He expanded his business across the Arab world and into Europe in Saudi Arabia.[1] He also worked as business manager in London for Prince Turki bin Nasser, a member of House of Saud.[3] Safadi established Safadi Group Holding in Lebanon in the 1990s.[9][10]

Safadi was first elected to the Lebanese Parliament in 2000 as part of the Tripoli bloc.[9][11] He served as the minister of public works and transport from 19 July 2005 to July 2008.[1][11] Safadi also served as acting energy and water minister in 2007 and in 2008.[12][13] Next, he was appointed minister of economy and trade on 11 July 2008 to the cabinet headed by Fouad Siniora.[1][5] He was reelected member of parliament in the 2009 elections on the list of the March 14 alliance.[14][15] Safadi was appointed minister of economy and trade to the cabinet of Saad Hariri on 9 November 2009,[16] and his tenure lasted until June 2011.[11]

Safadi did not support for Saad Hariri in the 2011 cabinet formation talks with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.[7] Instead, he voted for Najib Mikati during cabinet formation consultations in January 2011.[17] Therefore, he broke with his March 14 allies and sided with the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition along with Mikati.[18] Safadi became an ally of Mikati after this event.[19]

Safadi served as the minister of finance from 13 June 2011 to February 2014 in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Najib Mikati.[6][20][21] Within the cabinet, Safadi was part of the group appointed by the Prime Minister[9] and an independent or non-affiliated minister in the Mikati's cabinet.[22] In October 2012, As Safir reported that Safadi would not participate in the 2013 parliamentary elections in Tripoli possibly due to health concerns.[23]

Safadi chairs the steering committee of the Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Committee (METAC) of the International Monetary Fund.[24] He was also the head of the Lebanese-German Parliamentary Friendship Committee and a member of the Economy Commission at the Parliament.[25]

Safadi's term as finance minister ended in February 2014 when Ali Hassan Khalil was appointed to the post.[26]

In November 2019, amidst the 2019–20 Lebanese protests, Safadi was tapped as the next Prime Minister of Lebanon, to succeed Saad Hariri.[27] Safadi withdrew his candidacy on 16 November, stating that it would have been difficult to form a harmonious cabinet.[28]

On 5 October 2015, Safadi married Violette Khaïrallah. He has two children from a previous marriage. His son, Ramzi, died in a car crash in England on 10 March 2008.[1]

Safadi established a foundation entitled the Safadi Foundation in 2000.[8] It provides health, educational, and social services.[8]