Émile Lahoud
General Émile Geamil Lahoud (Arabic: اميل لحود) (born January 12, 1936) is the President of Lebanon. He is the son of General Jamil Lahoud, a leader in the independence movement; his mother, Adrene Bajakian, was of Armenian[1] descent.
Political life
Lahoud served under General Michel Aoun during the final years of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90). After an Arab League-brokered cease-fire took effect, Lahoud crossed over into Syrian-controlled west Beirut. A Maronite military officer was needed to assume the position of army commander for the West Beirut based Lebanese government endorsed by the 1989 Taif Agreement[citation needed]. Lahoud was offered the position. According to one source, Lahoud had connections to an influential Syrian army officer, Ali Hammoud, who recommended him for the job. [citation needed]
He quickly accepted. He served in various posts in the military, including commander-in-chief of the army from 1989 to 1998, and then ran for the presidency in 1998, after having the constitution amended to allow the army commander-in-chief to run for office within three years of holding that post.
Under the Lebanese constitution, the President's term was limited to one six-year term. However, under pressure from Syria, in 2004, the parliament voted to extend his term for an additional three years to 2007 (his predecessor, Elias Hrawi, did the same). Lebanese opposition figures and international critics claim that the extension was illegal because the constitution was amended under foreign duress.
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Criticism
Lahoud's popularity has been low recently, especially among Christians, Druze, and Sunnis. Lebanese Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt have been vocal critics. Assassinated Sunni former prime minister Rafik Hariri, who had worked under Syrian support for many years, clashed with Damascus over the extension of Lahoud's term, and resigned in protest. These figures view him as a puppet controlled by the Syrians.
Lifestyle
According to The New York Times, Lahoud has a reputation for "lounging through most afternoons in his Speedos by the pool at the Yarze country club, reading Paris-Match magazine and holding a tanning mirror." The newspaper reported that Lahoud denied allegations that he went swimming on the day of Hariri's funeral. He told a group of journalists: "I swim every day — it's my workout — but on that specific day, I did not swim." [1]
See also
Notes
- ^ Neil MacFarquhar, "Behind Lebanon Upheaval, 2 Men's Fateful Clash", The New York Times, March 20, 2005.
Further reading
- Republic of Lebanon - The President official site