Suleiman Frangieh, Jr.
| Suleiman Frangieh | |
|---|---|
| سليمان فرنجيه | |
| 220px | |
| President of the Marada Movement | |
| Assumed office 1982 |
|
| Preceded by | Robert Frangieh |
| Member of Parliament | |
| Assumed office 9 November 2009 |
|
| Prime Minister |
See list
|
| Constituency | Zgharta |
| In office 13 May 1992 – 15 April 2005 |
|
| Prime Minister |
See list
|
| Constituency | Zgharta |
| Minister of the Interior and Municipalities | |
| In office 26 October 2004 – 19 April 2005 |
|
| Prime Minister | Omar Karame |
| Preceded by | Robert Frangieh |
| Minister of Public Health | |
| In office 17 April 2003 – 26 October 2004 |
|
| Prime Minister | Rafic Hariri |
| In office 26 October 2000 – 15 April 2003 |
|
| Prime Minister | Rafic Hariri |
| In office 7 November 1996 – 3 December 1998 |
|
| Prime Minister | Rafic Hariri |
| Minister of Agriculture and Housing | |
| In office 4 December 1998 – 26 October 2000 |
|
| Prime Minister | Salim El Hoss |
| Minister of Municipalities and Rural Affairs | |
| In office 31 October 1992 – 25 May 1995 |
|
| Prime Minister | Rafic Hariri |
| Minister of Housing and Cooperatives | |
| In office 16 May 1992 – 30 October 1992 |
|
| Prime Minister | Rachid Solh |
| State Ministier | |
| In office 24 December 1990 – 10 May 1992 |
|
| Prime Minister | Omar Karame |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 October 1965 Zgharta, Lebanon |
| Nationality | Lebanese |
| Political party | Marada Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Rima Karkafi |
| Relations | Suleiman Frangieh (grandfather)
Tony Frangieh (father) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Zgharta, Lebanon |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religion | Maronite Church |
Suleiman Tony Frangieh (Arabic: سليمان فرنجيه; born 18 October 1965) is the current leader of the Marada Movement[1] and a Member of Parliament for the Maronite seat of Zgharta-Zawyie, in North Lebanon.
Early life
Suleiman was born in Zgharta, Lebanon on 18 October 1965. He is the son of late Tony Frangieh, who was assassinated in the Ehden massacre in 1978, and grandson of the former Lebanese President Suleiman Frangieh and as such, carries his grandfather's name. Samir Frangieh is Suleiman's cousin.[2]
Suleiman Franjieh's grandfather brought him to Syria after the Ehden massacre, which was perpetrated by rival Maronite Kataeb forces. In Syria, Suleiman was taken under the wing of Bassel Assad, eldest son of the Syrian President. His friendship with the Al Assad family has remained close since then.[3]
Political career
Suleiman Franjieh's political career began when he was 17 years old. In 1982, he became leader of the Marada Brigades. The party disbanded its militia to become a political group following the disbanding of armed militias after the Taif Agreement. Marada began to participate in social, cultural, educational, health and political affairs.
He entered the Parliament for the first time on 7 June 1991 and was then the youngest MP. He was elected for three successive mandates in 1992, 1996 and 2000 and ranked first in the caza of Zgharta- Zawiah in the three aforementioned electoral sessions despite the different prevailing electoral laws: the goveranorate basis in 1992 and 1996 and the intermediate circonscription in 2000. He was candidate to the Maronite seat in the caza of Zgharta in the second circonscription in the north during the elections of June 2005. He ranked first in the cazas of Zgharta, Koura and Batroun but did not win the elections which took place on the basis of the 2000 electoral law.
Suleiman Franjieh joined mourners gathered in front of Beirut's city palace to pay his final respects to Rafik Hariri who was killed by a bomb on 14 February 2005. His presence made many uneasy, since it was his ministry that was overseeing the investigation into Hariri's assassination.[4]
During the Lebanese Parliamentary Elections of 7 June 2009, Suleiman Frangieh was elected again for the fourth time as a Member of Parliament for the seat of Zgharta-Zawyieh. He won the seat along with his two running partners Estephan Douwaihi and Salim Bey Karam. Together, these three politicians, along with the addition of MP Emile Rahme, formed the 'Free and Unified Lebanon' bloc in the Lebanese Parliament.
In August 2012, Frangieh commented on the Syrian civil war stating that the pro-Assad coalition would win the war and gave his full support to the Syrian government. He also stated that he supports the "positive neutrality" of Lebanon as he wishes to save its stability. Frangieh also added that he opposes the "negative neutrality" which is "pretending to be neutral while arms are smuggled from Lebanon to Syria". He called the "negative neutrality" a "conspiring against Syria".[5]
Personal life
Suleiman is the father of two children from a first marriage with Marianne Sarkis; Tony (1987) and Bassel (1992). Suleiman Fragieh has been married to Rima Karkafi since 2003 who has given birth to his daughter Vera (2007). He resides in Bnachii, a small town right next to his hometown of Zgharta. He is a close friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.[6]
References
- ↑ Deputy Premier Meets Lebanese Parliament Member Sleiman Frangieh. Qatar News Agency. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
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