Bishara Merhej

Bishara Merhej
Bishara Merhej
Minister of State for Administrative Reform
	In office; 7 November 1996 – 4 December 1998
Prime Minister	Rafik Hariri
Minister of State
	In office; 2 September 1994 – 25 May 1995
Prime Minister	Rafik Hariri
Preceded by	Shahé Barsoumian
Minister of Interior
	In office; 31 October 1992 – 2 September 1994
Prime Minister	Rafik Hariri
Succeeded by	Michel Murr
Personal details
Born	Bishara Jamil Merhej; 1946 (age 77–78); Beirut, Lebanon
Political party	Al Baath Arab Socialist Party (until 1973)
Spouse	Wali Grote
Children	2
Alma mater	American University of Beirut

Bishara Merhej (born 1946) is a Lebanese journalist and politician who held various cabinet posts, including minister of interior. He also served at the Lebanese parliament in the 1990s.

Early life and education[edit]

Merhej was born in Beirut in 1946.^[1] He hails from a Greek Orthodox family.^[2] His parents were Jamil Merhej and Salma Matar Rahbani.^[3]

Merhej obtained a degree in economics from the American University of Beirut in 1967.^[1]^[3]

Career[edit]

Following his graduation Merhej first worked as a teacher.^[1] Then he began to work as a journalist^[1] and wrote articles for the economy section of Al Anwar.^[3] He is cofounder of the Active Arab Front and joined the Al Baath Arab Socialist Party where he served in different capacities until 1973.^[1] In 1975 he involved in the establishment of the Assembly of Popular Leagues and Association which supported a united Lebanon and Arab identity of the country.^[1]

Merhej was elected to the Parliament in the elections of 1992 and 1996 representing Beirut.^[1] At the parliament he was a member of the human rights committee.^[2] On 31 October 1992 he was appointed interior minister to the first cabinet of Rafik Hariri who selected him to the post.^[4] In a reshuffle Merhej was named state minister on 2 September 1994.^[2]^[4] Merhej was the minister of state for administrative reform in the third cabinet of Hariri between 7 November 1996 and 4 December 1998.^[1]

Personal life[edit]

Merhej is married to Wali Grote, a physician, with who he has two daughters.^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Bechara Merhej". OMSAR. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Maurus Reinkowski; Sofia Saadeh (2006). "A Nation Divided. Lebanese Confessionalism". In Haldun Gülalp (ed.). Citizenship and Ethnic Conflict: Challenging the Nation-state. London; New York: Routledge. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-415-36897-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c Who's Who in Lebanon (19th ed.). Beirut: Publitec Publications. 2007. p. 238. doi:10.1515/9783110945904.218. ISBN 978-3-598-07734-0.
^ ^a ^b 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.

[omsar-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Bechara Merhej". OMSAR. Retrieved 13 July 2022.

[sofia-2] Maurus Reinkowski; Sofia Saadeh (2006). "A Nation Divided. Lebanese Confessionalism". In Haldun Gülalp (ed.). Citizenship and Ethnic Conflict: Challenging the Nation-state. London; New York: Routledge. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-415-36897-1.

[wwho-3] Who's Who in Lebanon (19th ed.). Beirut: Publitec Publications. 2007. p. 238. doi:10.1515/9783110945904.218. ISBN 978-3-598-07734-0.

[ward-4] 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.

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