Marwan Hamadeh

Marwan Hamadeh ( ar, 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. 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.

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. 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.

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

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. He was appointed tourism minister in 1982, and his term lasted for two years. He served as economy minister in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Omar Karami, replacing Nazih Al Bizri in the post. Hamadeh's term lasted from 24 December 1990 to 15 May 1992, and he was succeeded by Samir Makdasi. From 1992 to 1996 he served as minister of health and social affairs in the first cabinet of Rafik Hariri. In the general elections of 1996 he won a seat from Chouf.

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

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. 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. Finance Minister Fouad Siniora replaced Hamadeh as acting economy minister. From 19 July 2005 to 11 July 2008 Hamadeh served as minister of telecommunications.

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

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. The blast is considered to have been the beginning of series of assassinations of Lebanese politicians and journalists, mostly anti-Syrian figures.

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

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.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamadeh, Marwan
1939 births
Living people
Saint Joseph University alumni
People from Chouf District
Lebanese Druze
Members of the Parliament of Lebanon
Government ministers of Lebanon
Lebanese journalists
Survivors of terrorist attacks
Tueni family
Progressive Socialist Party politicians