The first cabinet of Rafic Hariri was the 61st government and one of the post-civil war governments of Lebanon.[1] It was inaugurated on 31 October 1992 replacing the cabinet led by Rachid Solh.[2][3]
Hariri I | |
|---|---|
 61st Cabinet of Lebanon | |
_(cropped).png) Prime Minister Rafic Hariri | |
| Date formed | 31 October 1992 |
| Date dissolved | 25 May 1995 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Elias Hrawi |
| Head of government | Rafic Hariri |
| Deputy head of government | Michel Murr |
| No. of ministers | 31 |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Rachid Solh II |
| Successor | Second Cabinet of Rafic Hariri |
Hariri's first cabinet lasted until 25 May 1995 and was succeeded by his second cabinet which would exist only until November 1996.[2][4] The head of the state was president Elias Hrawi during the term of Hariri's first cabinet.[2][5]
Ministries and support
editA number of new ministries was introduced through the establishment of the cabinet, including the state ministries for displaced, municipal affairs and ministry of public works.[1] These institutions later had legal basis when the related laws were approved by the parliament.[1]
Hariri's first cabinet was supported by nearly all Lebanese political parties which voted in favor of it at the parliament.[6] The only political group which voted against the cabinet was Hezbollah.[6]
Cabinet members
editRafic Hariri's first cabinet was different from the previous Lebanese cabinets in that it did not follow the tradition of appointing the ministers based on their religious confession.[7] Instead, the cabinet members were chosen by Hariri based on their eligibility for the posts.[7]
Although the cabinet included some significant political figures, some of its members were technocrats and experts.[5] Six cabinet members were part of the previous cabinet: Michel Murr, Marwan Hamadeh, Abdallah Al Amin, Fares Boueiz, Mohsen Dalloul and Michel Samaha.[5] Nearly ten of newcomers were close allies of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri who also held the post of finance minister.[5] Hariri's legal advisor and lawyer, Bahij Tabbara, was named as the justice minister.[8] Three cabinet members were former militia leaders: Walid Jumblat, Elie Hobeika and Suleiman Franjieh, all of who were appointed minister of state.[5]
In the cabinet there were two Armenian politicians: Shahé Barsoumian from the Tashnag Party and Hagop Demirdjian who was a member of the Armenian General Benevolent Union.[9] The latter was also among the close confidants of Rafic Hariri.[9] Georges Frem was the only cabinet member who was close to Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, patriarch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon.[3]
List of ministers
editThe cabinet was made up of the following members:[2]
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Deputy Prime Minister | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Minister of Finance | Rafic Hariri | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of the Interior | 31 October 1992 | 2 September 1994 | Independent | ||
Michel Murr | 2 September 1994 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Minister of Justice | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Independent | ||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Independent | ||
| Minister of Defense | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Progressive Socialist Party | ||
| Minister of Housing and Cooperatives | Mahmoud Abu Hamdan | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Amal | |
| Minister of National Education and Fine Arts | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Minister of Health and Social Affairs | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Progressive Socialist Party | ||
| Minister of Labour | Abdullah Al Amin | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Lebanon Region | |
| Minister of Industry and Petroleum | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Minister of Agriculture | Adil Qortas | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of Economy and Trade | Hagop Demirdjian | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of Information | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Kataeb | ||
| Minister of Public Works and Transportation | Muhammad Bassam Murtada | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of Post and Telecommunications | Muhammad Ghaziri | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of Electricity and Water Resources | Georges Frem | 31 October 1992 | 11 June 1993 | ||
| 11 June 1993 | 25 May 1995 | Kataeb | |||
| Minister of Tourism | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Independent | ||
| Minister of State | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Amal | ||
| Minister of State | Shahé Barsoumian | 31 October 1992 | 2 September 1994 | Tashnag Party | |
Bishara Merhej | 2 September 1994 | 25 May 1995 | Independent | ||
| Minister of State | Anwar Al Khalil | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of State for Social Affairs and the Handicapped | Elie Hobeika | 31 October 1992 | 2 September 1994 | Kataeb | |
Shahé Barsoumian | 2 September 1994 | 25 May 1995 | Tashnag Party | ||
| Minister of State for Financial Affairs | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Minister of State for Vocational and Technical Training | Hassan Izzedin | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of State for Cultural Affairs and Higher Education | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Minister of State for Transportation | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | |||
| Minister of State for Emigrant Affairs | Rida Wahid | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | ||
| Minister of State for Environmental Affairs | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Independent | ||
| Minister of State for Municipalities and Villages | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Marada Movement | ||
| Minister of State for Affairs of the Displaced | 31 October 1992 | 25 May 1995 | Progressive Socialist Party | ||
Resignations and removals
editGeorges Frem, minister of electricity and water resources, was removed from the post in June 1993 which caused the harsh criticisms by Maronite patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir against Rafic Hariri.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ministerial Portfolios. Rotation or Manipulation?" (PDF). The Monthly. No. 140. March 2014. pp. 4–6. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Ward Vloeberghs (2015). Architecture, Power and Religion in Lebanon. Rafiq Hariri and the politics of sacred space in Beirut. Vol. 114. Leiden; Boston: Brill. pp. 381–382. doi:10.1163/9789004307056_010. ISBN 9789004307056.
- ^ a b c Sami E. Baroudi; Paul Tabar (2009). "Spiritual Authority versus Secular Authority: Relations between the Maronite Church and the State in Postwar Lebanon: 1990–2005". Middle East Critique. 18 (3): 203–205. doi:10.1080/19436140903237038. S2CID 144303129.
- ^ Dalal Saoud (7 November 1996). "Lebanon PM forms a new Cabinet". United Press International. Beirut. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Dalal Saoud (31 October 1992). "Hariri forms a new 30-member cabinet to save Lebanon". United Press International. Beirut. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ a b A. Nizar Hamzeh (1993). "Lebanon's Hizbullah: From Islamic Revolution to Parliamentary Accommodation". Third World Quarterly. 14 (2): 334. doi:10.1080/01436599308420327.
- ^ a b "Hariri breaks new ground in cabinet appointments". MEED. Vol. 36, no. 45. 13 November 1992. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ Hannes Baumann (2012). Citizen Hariri and neoliberal politics in postwar Lebanon (PhD thesis). SOAS University of London. p. 141. doi:10.25501/SOAS.00014240.
- ^ a b Ohannes Geukjian (2009). "From Positive Neutrality to Partisanship: How and Why the Armenian Political Parties Took Sides in Lebanese Politics in the Post-Taif Period (1989–Present)". Middle Eastern Studies. 45 (5): 745. doi:10.1080/00263200903135554. S2CID 145522567.