Elias Hrawi
Encyclopedia
Elias Hrawi was a President of Lebanon
, whose term of office ran from 1989 to 1998.
He was a native of the Beqaa valley
. He was elected on 24 November 1989, two days after the assassination of René Moawad
, who had held office for just seventeen days. When his term was due to expire in 1995, the National Assembly amended the constitution to allow him to remain in office for another three years.
, to a landowning Maronite family. He was educated at Saint Joseph University in Beirut
, from which he graduated with a law degree.
A successful businessman, he started a vegetable export business, dealing with major Swiss companies. He also headed the Beqaa sugarbeet cooperative. When his export business was destroyed by the civil war
that raged from 1975 to 1990, he switched his line of business to oil importing.
and Prime Minister Shafik Wazzan
. He concentrated on building bridges and highways to link all parts of the country.
that formalized the Taif Agreement
reforms, giving a greater measure of power and influence to Lebanon's Muslim
community than before. On 13 October 1990, with support from the Syrian army
, he forced General Michel Aoun
, who was heading a rival administration, to surrender in order to begin the reconstruction of Lebanon. On 22 May 1991, he signed the Treaty of fraternity, co-ordination and co-operation with Syria
, in which Lebanon promised not to allow its territory to be used against Syria's interests.
Lebanese are divided in their opinion of Hrawi. Many appreciate his decisiveness in acting against the feuding militias, ending the civil war that had been tearing the country apart for fifteen years and reuniting the major political parties of Lebanon. His supporters viewed him as a pragmatic political figure, and respected him for his long-held conviction that national loyalty should take precedence over sectarian interests, and for promoting peaceful coexistence among Lebanon's religious factions. Accordingly Hrawi's attempt to pass a law legitimizing civil marriage failed due to the fierce opposition from religious authorities. Some have accused him of inconsistency for disarming all Christian and most Muslim militias - but not Hezbollah, a Shi'a
political party. His critics also point out that he was very supportive of Syrian interests and charge that the cooperation treaty that he signed turned Lebanon into a Syrian colony. He has also been criticized by some for having the Constitution amended to extend his term of office by three years; former President Amine Gemayel
said at the time that such actions (which he charged were taken "almost casually") undermined the delicate constitutional principles of the nation, and others have said since that it created the precedent that his successor, Émile Lahoud
, would follow (at Syria's behest) in 2004, when his own term of office was similarly extended for three years.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, whose term of office ran from 1989 to 1998.
He was a native of the Beqaa valley
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley is a fertile valley in east Lebanon. For the Romans, the Beqaa Valley was a major agricultural source, and today it remains Lebanon’s most important farming region...
. He was elected on 24 November 1989, two days after the assassination of René Moawad
René Moawad
René Moawad was President of Lebanon for 17 days in 1989, from the 5th to the 22nd of November, when he was assassinated by unknowns. Syria accused Michel Aoun of the assassination....
, who had held office for just seventeen days. When his term was due to expire in 1995, the National Assembly amended the constitution to allow him to remain in office for another three years.
Early life
Hrawi was born in Hawch Al-Umara, near ZahléZahlé
Zahlé is the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 50,000 inhabitants, it is the fourth largest city in Lebanon, after Beirut, Tripoli and Jounieh...
, to a landowning Maronite family. He was educated at Saint Joseph University in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, from which he graduated with a law degree.
A successful businessman, he started a vegetable export business, dealing with major Swiss companies. He also headed the Beqaa sugarbeet cooperative. When his export business was destroyed by the civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
that raged from 1975 to 1990, he switched his line of business to oil importing.
Member of National Assembly
The scion of a politically prominent family, Hrawi followed his brothers Georges and Joseph when he was elected to the National Assembly in 1972. From 1980 to 1982, he served in the Cabinet as Minister of Public Works under President Elias SarkisElias Sarkis
Elias Sarkis was the President of the Lebanese Republic from 1976 to 1982.-Early career:Born in Shabbaniah, Sarkis graduated with a Law degree from Saint Joseph University in 1948. After joining the judicial corps in 1953, he became a judge with the Accounting Department...
and Prime Minister Shafik Wazzan
Shafik Wazzan
Shafik Dib al-Wazzan was the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1980 until 1984. In December 1991, Wazzan was wounded when a car bomb exploded in the Beirut neighborhood of Basta as he was passing through in an armored car....
. He concentrated on building bridges and highways to link all parts of the country.
President of Lebanon
As President, Hrawi signed into law amendments to the ConstitutionConstitution of Lebanon
The Constitution of Lebanon was adopted on 23 May 1926.The most recent amendment of the Constitution was for the Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation , in October, 1989....
that formalized the Taif Agreement
Taif Agreement
The Taif Agreement was an agreement reached to provide "the basis for the ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Lebanon." Negotiated in Taif, Saudi Arabia, it was designed to end the decades-long Lebanese civil war, politically accommodate the demographic...
reforms, giving a greater measure of power and influence to Lebanon's Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community than before. On 13 October 1990, with support from the Syrian army
Military of Syria
The Syrian Armed Forces are the military forces of Syria. They consist of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Air Defense Force.-Manpower:The President of Syria is the commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces, comprising some 646,500 troops upon mobilization. The military is a conscripted force;...
, he forced General Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
, who was heading a rival administration, to surrender in order to begin the reconstruction of Lebanon. On 22 May 1991, he signed the Treaty of fraternity, co-ordination and co-operation with Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, in which Lebanon promised not to allow its territory to be used against Syria's interests.
Lebanese are divided in their opinion of Hrawi. Many appreciate his decisiveness in acting against the feuding militias, ending the civil war that had been tearing the country apart for fifteen years and reuniting the major political parties of Lebanon. His supporters viewed him as a pragmatic political figure, and respected him for his long-held conviction that national loyalty should take precedence over sectarian interests, and for promoting peaceful coexistence among Lebanon's religious factions. Accordingly Hrawi's attempt to pass a law legitimizing civil marriage failed due to the fierce opposition from religious authorities. Some have accused him of inconsistency for disarming all Christian and most Muslim militias - but not Hezbollah, a Shi'a
Shi'a Islam
Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...
political party. His critics also point out that he was very supportive of Syrian interests and charge that the cooperation treaty that he signed turned Lebanon into a Syrian colony. He has also been criticized by some for having the Constitution amended to extend his term of office by three years; former President Amine Gemayel
Amine Gemayel
Amine Pierre Gemayel was President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988 and is the leader of Kataeb Party.Born in the Lebanese village of Bikfaya, Amine Gemayel is the son of Pierre Gemayel, founder of the Kataeb Party...
said at the time that such actions (which he charged were taken "almost casually") undermined the delicate constitutional principles of the nation, and others have said since that it created the precedent that his successor, Émile Lahoud
Émile Lahoud
General Émile Jamil Lahoud is a former President of Lebanon. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite_Catholic, the parliament speaker's post for a Shia...
, would follow (at Syria's behest) in 2004, when his own term of office was similarly extended for three years.
Personal life
Hrawi was married to Mona Jammal and had three sons (George, Roy and Roland) and two daughters (Rina and Zalfa).External links
- Elias Hrawi biography on MEDEA.be (accurate; information originally from the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- "Former President Hrawi loses fight against cancer", The Daily Star, July 8, 2006.