Rene Moawad

Rene Moawad (rear RTL رينيهمعوض) was born the April 17th 1925 and died the November 22nd 1989. It was President Lebanon during 17 days in 1989, of the 5 to the November 22nd, day when it was assassinated. Christian known Maronite for his moderated points of view, Moawad had given to some citizens the hope that long the civil war in Lebanon could be finished. Chawki Choveri, representative of the the United Nations, said that " It is the greatest catastrophe among those which we had up to now. We perhaps lost one of the last occasions to link the nation." Before its death, Moawad had been addressed to the nation in these terms: " There can be no country or dignity without unit of the people, and there can be no unit without agreement, and there can be no agreement without conciliation, and there can be no conciliation without remission and compromis." Elias Hraoui succeeded to him.

Education and first steps

Moawad began its schooling at the school Of the Room with Tripoli, before continuing its education higher than the college St Joseph in Aintoura. Then, it was with the Université Saint-Joseph with Beirut, obtaining its examination of right in 1947. It, later, joined the law firm of Abdallah Al-Yafi, old a Prime Minister before opening his own law firm in Tripoli in 1951.

Parliamentary career

Moawad takes its first steps in political in 1951, when it stood as a candidate, without success, for the seat of deputy of the town of Zghorta at the Lebanese Parliament. In spite of the defeat, this election enabled him to tie an important strategic alliance with the powerful clan of the family Frangié, which dominated the local policy in Zghorta. He was elected later at the National Assembly in 1957, then re-elected in 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972 (the Lebanese civil war which made rage between 1975 and 1990 prevented the elections from being held thereafter).

In 1952, Moawad briefly was stopped and held with Aley to have taken part in the national rising which pushed with the resignation President Béchara el-Khoury, first president after the independence of Lebanon. It also fell with the successor from Khoury, Camille Chamoun, when this last implied a possible constitutional change to prolong the six years limit of its presidential mandate, which was to expire in 1958. It leaves then in exile to Lattaquié, Syria. It is during this exile that it gained its first election at the National Assembly.

Moawad then became an enthusiast to support of the successor of Chamoun, Fouad Chehab. It governed the committee of supply, like at the commission of the laws of the Parliament. He was Minister for the stations and telecommunications in the government of the Prime Minister Rachid Karamé (he also in favor of Chehab) of the October 31st 1961 until the February 20th 1964. He is later Minister for the public office, still with Karamé like 1st minister, but under the presidency of Charles Helou, successor of Chehab. In 1970 however, it breaks with the camp of Chehab to the presidential election to support its old allied Soleimane Frangié against the candidate chehabist, Elias Sarkis. Frangié gained the election with a single voice in advance. The October 25th 1980, Moawad returns to the government as Minister for education and arts, under the presidency of Elias Sarkis (which succeeded Frangié in 1976) and for the Prime Minister Chafic Wazzan, station which it will occupy until the expiry of the mandate of Sarkis the September 24th 1982. The solidity of its alliance with Soleimane Frangié will be put at severely tested this year there, when Moawad votes in favor of Bachir Gemayel, the enemy of Frangié, for the presidency. In spite of the anger of Frangié, their friendship was so deep that she survived the test.

Election and assassination

In accordance with the Agreements of fine Taef putting at the civil war, the National Assembly meets the November 5th on the air base of Qoleiat in the north of Lebanon and elects Moawad as president, the first since Amine Gemayel was withdrawn at the end of its mandate 409 days earlier in 1988; the National Assembly not having succeeded in electing a successor at this time there. Ten seven days later, whereas it returned of ceremonies commemorating the independence of Lebanon the November 22nd 1989, a Car bomb explodes at the time of the passage of the convoy of Moawad with Beirut western, killing it as 23 other people.

No survey forever carried out into this attack. Sixteen years later, the identity and the motivations of the authors are always prone to debate. Some indicated Syria: although elected with the support of Syria, Moawad refused to be their man of straw. The widow of Moawad indicated that she suspected Syria. At the time of the demonstration during the revolution of the Cedar against the occupation of Syria the March 14th 2005, Nayla Moawad declared " The independence of Lebanon fully returned on March 14th, and on March 14th I took my revenge on the assassination (of my husband). "

Private life

As wire of Anise Bey Moawad, him even mayor of the municipality, not only Moawad was the hope of a famous family of Zgharta, but it was moreover the first representative at the Parliament.

In 1965, Moawad married with Nayla Najib Issa El-Khoury , which was of the family of Béchara el-Khoury, a competitor and opponent of the Moawad family. In spite of historical animosity between the two families, and as owing to the fact that it was younger as him 15 years, the marriage was obviously happy. Their Rima daughter, born in 1966, is now a graduate lawyer of Harvard in the United States, while their Michel son, born in 1972, is a lawyer and graduate businessman of the university from the Sorbonne in Paris.

The widow of Moawad founded the foundation Rene Moawad, having for goal the dialog, peace and the social justice, to which it devoted his life. Nayla Moawad was elected with the National Assembly in 1992. She is member of the opposition, against the Syrian military presence in Lebanon. In 2004, she announced her candidature for the presidency to succeed Emile Lahoud, of which the mandate was supposed to be completed in November, the National Assembly having yielded to the Syrian pressures and having prolonged Emile Lahoud at the position of president for 3 years additional.

Since July 7th, 2005, Nayla Moawad is Ministre for the Social Affairs within the government of Fouad Siniora. She is member of the Forces of March 14th.

The son of Rene Moawad, Michel, 34 years old, is quite as active in policy. He is member of the follow-up committee of the Forces of March 14th and recently founded a political small part - the Movement of Independence.

External bonds

Foundation Rene Moawad

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