Michel Georges Sassine ( ar, ميشال جورج ساسين) was a prominent Lebanese politician. He was a member of the Lebanese parliament for twenty-four consecutive years (1968–1992) representing the district of

Ashrafieh Achrafieh ( ar, الأشرفية) is an upper-class area in eastern Beirut, Lebanon. In strictly administrative terms, the name refers to a sector (''secteur'') centred on Sassine Square, the highest point in the city, as well as a broader quart ...

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. He served several times as

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and cabinet Minister. He founded the Ministry of Housing and Cooperatives, and was appointed as Minister of Labor, Tourism and others in more than seven governments. Throughout his political career he was renowned for his strong ethics and anti-corruption principles. He took the lead on several historic turning points including the 1970 Presidential election, and the

Taif Agreement The Taif Agreement ( ar, اتفاق الطائف), officially known as the ( ar, وثيقة الوفاق الوطني, label=none'')'', was reached to provide "the basis for the ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Le ...

in 1990.

Personal life

Sassine was born to a prominent

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

family in

to parents Georges Sassine and Laurice Bustros. He lost his father in his teenage years and found himself responsible for four other siblings including new-born twins. Sassine led his family into politics, and together with his brothers Pierre and Joseph dedicated the family's efforts to public service.

1968 Parliamentary elections

Michel Sassine was first elected to the Lebanese Parliament in 1968 running for the Greek Orthodox seat in the nation's capital Beirut. Sassine ran alongside

Nasri Maalouf Nasri Maalouf ( ar, نصري معلوف) (May 7, 1911 – April 2, 2005) was a Lebanese politician. He was a Melkite Greek Catholic, and was known as a moderate and peacemaker in Lebanese politics. Nasri Maalouf was also a prominent lawyer, wh ...

and together, as independents, won against the government-backed coalition led by Sheikh

Pierre Gemayel Pierre Amine Gemayel, also spelled Jmayyel, Jemayyel or al-Jumayyil ( ar, بيار الجميّل; 6 November 1905 – 29 August 1984), was a Lebanese political leader. A Maronite Catholic, he is remembered as the founder of the Kataeb Part ...

- including Minister of Foreign Affairs

Fouad Boutros Fouad Boutros ( ar, فؤاد بطرس; 5 November 1917 in Achrafieh – 4 January 2016) was a Lebanese politician and diplomat. He held several cabinet posts in the 1960s and 1970s. Political career He was first elected member of the Parliament ...

1970 Presidential elections

In the closest and possibly most controversial presidential election in Lebanese history,

Suleiman Frangieh Suleiman Kabalan Frangieh, last name also spelled ''Frangié,'' ''Franjieh,'' or ''Franjiyeh'' (, 15 June 1910 – 23 July 1992), was a Lebanese Maronite politician who was President of Lebanon from 1970 to 1976. Early life and education Sulei ...

was elected President of the Republic by the National Assembly on 17 August 1970, with a majority of one single vote. The presidency being the most powerful political institution in pre-1990 Lebanon the presidential race was of particular importance as it came after 12 years of continuous Shihabist rule ( Fuad Shihab 1958-1964, and

Charles Helou Charles Helou ( ar, شارل الحلو; 25 September 1913 – 7 January 2001) was a Lebanese politician and President of Lebanon from 1964 to 1970. Early life and education Born in Beirut on 25 September 1913, Helou was the scion of a powerf ...

, 1964–1970). The two main opposing candidates emerged to be

Elias Sarkis Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ‎ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several hol ...

– then Governor of the Central Bank – backed by the Shihabi regime; and Suleiman Frangieh backed by the opposition. On the third voting round, Frangieh received majority by a single vote over Elias Sarkis. Sabri Hamadeh, then Speaker of Parliament and supporter of the Shihab regime, refused to announce the election of a President on such a low margin, and walked out of Parliament. Michel Sassine, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, stepped up and assumed the responsibilities of Speaker and announced Frangieh President in a move that saved the country of an inevitable political vacuum. Sassine moved to serve as Minister and

Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon The office of Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon was formed in 1943. The National Pact The National Pact ( ar, الميثاق الوطني, translit-std=DIN, translit=al Mithaq al Watani) is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Le ...

in the four different governments between 1972-1975 under the mandate of President Frangieh.

His relationship with President Camille Chamoun

Michel Sassine initially got elected as an independent and was never part of any political party throughout his career. Nevertheless, he developed a close political and personal relationship with President

Camille Chamoun Camille Nimr Chamoun OM, ONC ( ar, كميل نمر شمعون, ''Kamīl Sham'ūn''; 3 April 1900 – 7 August 1987) was a Lebanese politician who served as President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. He was one of the country's main Christi ...

, and took a leading role in the

National Liberal Party (Lebanon) The National Liberal Party (NLP, ar, حزب الوطنيين الأحرار, ''Ḥizb Al-Waṭaniyyīn Al-Aḥrār'') is a nationalist political party in Lebanon, established by President Camille Chamoun in 1958. It is now under the leadershi ...

(''Al Ahrar'') parliamentary block until the death of Chamoun's son Dany in 1990.

Role in Taif Agreement

Sassine was a signatory of the

that ended the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

. He was serving as Deputy Speaker of Parliament when Parliament signed the agreement on 22 October 1989 and ratified it on 4 November 1989. In the post-Taif period Sassine was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor in both the 1990-1992 governments of

Salim al-Hoss Selim Ahmed Hoss ( ar, سليم أحمد الحص; also transliterated ''Salim Al-Hoss;'' born 20 December 1929) is a veteran Lebanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon and a longtime Member of Parliament representing his h ...

, and Omar Karami.

Other Achievements

* Exercised full powers of Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Speaker of Parliament: as Sassine occupied the highest positions allocated to

in the Lebanese sectarian system he remains one of the few to have exercised the full power of these offices, as they remain symbolic otherwise. Other than his role in the 1970 Presidential elections, he acted as Speaker of Parliament on numerous occasions and led parliament on many junctures to pass significant reforms. Sassine's ability to exercise the Greek Orthodox Deputy responsibilities was due to both strong political backing and personal character. * Saved 24 Lebanese from execution in Guinea: in the early 1970s thirteen Lebanese were sentenced to death in Africa's Guinea in an attempted coup against President

Ahmed Sekou Toure Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...

. As the execution order was to be carried a week after their arrest, and many mediation efforts for their release failed, President

tasked Michel Sassine, then Deputy Prime Minister, on an urgent diplomatic mission to Guinea. Sassine succeeded in his intervention as Sekou Toure agreed to issue a Presidential pardon and handed all thirteen Lebanese detainees to Sassine to bring back to Lebanon.

Association to Sassine Square

Sassine Square in

is one of the most prominent political, social and commercial focal points of the Lebanese capital. While Sassine Street was named after Michel Sassine's father Georges in the 1940s, Michel Sassine moved to get Sassine Square officially inaugurated in the early 1990s under the auspices of President

Elias Hrawi Elias Hrawi ( ar, الياس الهراوي, 4 September 1926 – 7 July 2006) was president of Lebanon, whose term of office ran from 1989 to 1998. Early life and education Hrawi was born in Hawch Al Umara, Zahlé, to a wealthy landowning Maro ...

and Prime-Minister

Rafic Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen Al Hariri ( ar, رفيق بهاء الدين الحريري; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese business tycoon and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from ...