Émile Lahoud
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| Émile Lahoud اميل لحود |
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| In office 24 November 1998 – 24 November 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Rafiq al-Hariri Selim al-Hoss Rafiq al-Hariri Omar Karami Najib Mikati Fouad Siniora |
| Preceded by | Elias Hrawi |
| Succeeded by | Fouad Siniora (Acting)[1] |
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| Born | 12 January 1936 [2] Beirut, Lebanon |
| Religion | Maronite Catholic |
General Émile Jamil Lahoud ( born 12 January 1936) is a former President of Lebanon. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is the norm for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact, the presidency is earmarked for a Maronite Catholic, the parliament speaker's post for a Shiite Muslim and the prime minister's post is reserved for a Sunni Muslim.
He is the son of General Jamil Lahoud, a leader in the independence movement. His mother is of Armenian descent from the Armenian village of Kasab. Before being elected in 1998, he was Chief of Staff in the Army.
[edit] 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 Syrian 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[citation needed]. 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, under continued pressure from Syria[citation needed], in 2004, the parliament voted to extend his term for an additional three years to 2007 (his predecessor, Elias Hrawi, did the same).
[edit] Family life
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,
[edit] References
- ^ Rulers.org - Lebanon
- ^ Résumé, Presidency.gov.lb. Retrieved July 10, 2007
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| Preceded by Michel Aoun |
Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces 1989–1998 |
Succeeded by Michel Sleiman |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Elias Hrawi |
President of Lebanon 1998–2007 |
Succeeded by Fouad Siniora Acting |
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