Imbarek Shamekh (Arabic: امبارك عبدالله الشامخ) (sometimes Mubarak Abdallah al-Shamikh or Embarek Shamekh) (born 15 May 1952) is a Libyan politician and bureaucrat. He served as the Secretary-General of General People's Congress of Libya (head of state) from 2009 to 2010. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2008 to 2009, and Prime Minister from 2000 to 2003.[1][2]

Imbarek Shamekh
امبارك عبدالله الشامخ
Secretary-General of General People's Congress of Libya
In office
5 March 2009 – 26 January 2010
Prime MinisterBaghdadi Mahmudi
LeaderMuammar Gaddafi
Preceded byMiftah Muhammed K'eba
Succeeded byMohamed Abu al-Qasim al-Zwai
Deputy Prime Minister of Libya
In office
2 March 2008 – 5 March 2009
Prime MinisterBaghdadi Mahmudi
LeaderMuammar Gaddafi
Prime Minister of Libya
Head of Government of Libya
In office
1 March 2000 – 14 June 2003
LeaderMuammar Gaddafi
Preceded byMuhammad Ahmad al-Mangoush
Succeeded byShukri Ghanem
Personal details
Born (1952-05-15) 15 May 1952 (age 72)
Benghazi, Libya
Alma materUniversity of Central Florida

Early life and education

edit

Shamekh was born on 15 May 1952 in Benghazi, Libya. He moved to the United States in the early 1970s to pursue his scholarship. Shamekh attended college at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, where he graduated in 1981 with a degree in engineering.[1]

Career

edit

From February 1982 to March 1984, Shamekh was the Minister of Transportation for Benghazi. From March 1984 until October 1990, he served as Minister of Transportation. He was Governor of Sirte province from October 1990 to December 1992, and the Minister of Housing and Utilities from December 1992 to March 2000.

In March 2000, Muammar Gaddafi made sweeping changes to Libya's cabinet structure. Twelve ministers, the prime minister and foreign minister were replaced. From then until June 2003, Shamekh was prime minister (also known as General Secretary of the General People's Committee).

Shamekh was president of the Higher Planning Council of Libya from June 2003 until September 2004. From September 2004 to January 2005 he served as the governor of Benghazi. He served as deputy prime minister March 2008 to March 2009, when he resigned his post to become secretary-general of General People's Congress of Libya.[1][3]

In February 2011, during the Libyan Civil War, he defected to Egypt.[2]

In a leaked phone call between Muammar Gaddafi and Tayeb El Safi from March 2011, Gaddafi expressed his shock at Shamenkh's defection.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Mubarak Abdallah al-Shamikh – Biography". EBSCO Publishing. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b Gregg Carlstrom (12 May 2012). "Gaddafi clung to a fading reality". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Limited Reshuffle in GP Congress, GP Committee". The Tripoli Post. 6 March 2009. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  4. ^ Carlstrom, Gregg. "Gaddafi clung to a fading reality". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary General of General People's Congress of Libya
2009 – 2010
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Libya
2000 – 2003
Succeeded by