Émile Lahoud
Encyclopedia
General
Émile Jamil Lahoud (born 12 January 1936) is a former President of Lebanon
. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact
, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite Catholic, the parliament
speaker's post for a Shia Muslim
and the prime minister
's post is reserved for a Sunni Muslim. Before being elected in 1998, he was Chief of Staff in the Army
.
n army. 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
. Lahoud was offered the position.
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 in 2004, the parliament
voted to extend his term for an additional three years to 2007 (his predecessor, Elias Hrawi
, did the same).
descent from the Armenian village of Kasab. He is married to Andrée Amdouni and they have three children: Emile, Ralf and Karine who was married to Lebanon's defense minister Elias Murr
.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Émile Jamil Lahoud (born 12 January 1936) is a former President of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact
National Pact
The National Pact is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multi-confessional state, and has shaped the country to this day. Following negotiations between the Shi'ite, Sunni, and Maronite leaderships, the National Pact was born in the summer of 1943 allowing Lebanon to...
, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite Catholic, the parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
speaker's post for a Shia Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and the prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
's post is reserved for a Sunni Muslim. Before being elected in 1998, he was Chief of Staff in the Army
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
.
Political life
Lahoud served as a colonel for a number of years before he crossed over into the Muslim area which was backed by the SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n army. 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
Taif Agreement
The Taif Agreement was an agreement reached to provide "the basis for the ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Lebanon." Negotiated in Taif, Saudi Arabia, it was designed to end the decades-long Lebanese civil war, politically accommodate the demographic...
. Lahoud was offered the position.
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 in 2004, the parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
voted to extend his term for an additional three years to 2007 (his predecessor, Elias Hrawi
Elias Hrawi
Elias Hrawi was a President of Lebanon, whose term of office ran from 1989 to 1998.He was a native of the Beqaa valley. He was elected on 24 November 1989, two days after the assassination of René Moawad, who had held office for just seventeen days...
, did the same).
Family life
He is the son of General Jamil Lahoud, a leader in the independence movement. His mother is of ArmenianArmenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
descent from the Armenian village of Kasab. He is married to Andrée Amdouni and they have three children: Emile, Ralf and Karine who was married to Lebanon's defense minister Elias Murr
Elias Murr
Elias Murr is the former Lebanese Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He held the positions of Deputy Prime minister and Interior Minister in previous Cabinets....
.
Honours and awards
- The Medal of December 31, 1961
- Lebanese Order of Merit (3rd Grade), 1971
- Medal of Merit and Honor (High Ranking Officer), Haiti, 1974
- Navy Medal (Excellent Grade), 1974
- Tudor Vladimirescu Medal (4th degree), Romania, 1974
- Lebanese Order of Merit (2nd Grade), 1983
- Lebanese Order of Merit (1st Grade), 1988
- War Medal, 1991 War Medal, 1992
- National Order of the CedarNational Order of the CedarThe National Order of the Cedar is a prestigious civilian and military award and Medal of the Lebanese Government. This Order is the highest decoration in Lebanon and is made up of five Grades :* Grand Cordon...
(Grand Cordon), 1993 - Medal of the "Dawn of the South", 1993
- The Medal of National Unity, 1993
- Military Valour Medal, 1994
- State Security Medal, 1994
- Order of MeritOrder of Merit of the Italian RepublicThe Order of Merit of the Italian Republic was founded as the senior order of knighthood by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi in 1951...
(Senior Officer Rank), Italy, 1997 - Great Cross of Argentina, 1998
- Lebanese Order of Merit (Extraordinary Grade), 1998.
- Order of Al-Hussein Ibn Ali, Jordan, 1999
- Great Collar of Independence, Qatar, 1999
- Order of Saint Misrope Mashtos, Armenia, 2000
- King Abdul-Aziz CollarOrder of Abdulaziz al SaudThe Order of Abdulaziz al Saud is a Saudi-Arabian Order of merit. The order has been named after Abdulaziz Al Saud who founded the Saudi kingdom and died in 1953.-History:...
, Saudi Arabia, 2000 - Great Collar of The Union, United Arab Emirates, 2000
- Great Collar of Mubarak, Kuwait, 2000
- Great Collar of the Order of the NileOrder of the NileThe Order of the Nile is Egypt's highest state honor. The award was instituted in 1915 by Sultan Hussein Kamel to be awarded by Egypt for exceptional services to the nation...
, Egypt, 2000 - Great Collar of Independence, Qatar, 2000
- Great Collar of the Khalifite Order, Bahrein, 2000
- Order of the White Double CrossOrder of the White Double CrossThe Order of the White Double Cross is the highest state decoration of the Republic of Slovakia.The Order was instituted on 1 March 1994 after Slovakia became independent on 1 January 1993...
(1st Class), Slovakia, 2001 - Collar of the Order of the Star of RomaniaOrder of the Star of RomaniaThe Order of the Star of Romania is Romania's highest civil order. It is awarded by the President of Romania...
, 1999, 2001 - Great Cross of the Legion of Honour, France, 2001
- The Al Muhammadi Decoration (Extraordinary Grade), Morocco, 2001
- Order of November the 7th (highest Grade), Tunisia, 2001
- Great Cross of the Order of GrimaldiOrder of GrimaldiThe Order of Grimaldi is an Order established in Monaco on 18 November 1954. This Order rewards personal service to the Sovereign Prince of Monaco; as such it is awarded on the sole discretion of the Prince, currently Albert II, Prince of Monaco....
, Monaco, 2001 - Great Cross of the Order of the RedeemerOrder of the RedeemerThe Order of the Redeemer , also known as the Order of the Savior, is an order of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the modern Greek state.- History :...
, Greece, 2001 - National Order of Oumaya - Grand Cordon, Syria, 2002
- The First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the WiseOrder of Prince Yaroslav the WiseThe Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise is an award of Ukraine. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation. The Order was instituted on August 23, 1995 by the Ukrainian President, Leonid Kuchma....
, Ukraine, 2002. - Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III, Cyprus, 2002
- National Order of Merit "Al-Athir", Algeria, 2002
- Order of the Republic, Yemen, 2002
- Military Order of Oman - first category, Oman, 2002
- Order of Stara Planina, Bulgaria, 2003
- Gold Olympic Order, 2003
- Order of the Southern CrossOrder of the Southern CrossThe National Order of the Southern Cross is a Brazilian order of chivalry founded by Emperor Pedro I on 1 December 1822. This order was intended to commemorate the independence of Brazil and the coronation of Pedro I...
, Brazil, 2004 - Big Cross of the Ipiranga Order, Sao Paolo – Brazil, 2004
- Order of Merit – Grand Cross with Chain, Hungary, 2004
- Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, 2004.
- Order of the Federation - 1st Class (Cordon), Arab Military Sports Federation, 2005.
- Knight Grand Cross of Merit with Gold Plate of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint GeorgeSacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint GeorgeThe Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
, 2005.