Marwan Hamadeh

Early life and education

Hamadé was born into a Druze family in Baakleen, Chouf district, on 11 September 1939. His sister, Nadia Tueni, a notable author and French poet, was married to Ghassan Tueni, former UN ambassador and senior editor of the Lebanese daily, An Nahar. Their son, and Hamadeh's nephew, Gebran Tueni, was assassinated in a car bombing in Beirut in December 2005.

Hamadé holds a law degree, which he earned from Saint Joseph University in 1963. He received a PhD in economy from the same university.

Career and views

Hamadé started his career as an economic and political editor for An Nahar, L'Orient le Jour and Le Point in 1964 and continued to work for these papers until 1975. He was appointed tourism minister in 1982 and his term lasted for two years. He served as economy minister in the cabinet led by then prime minister Omar Karami, replacing Nazih Al Bizri. Hamadé's term lasted from 24 December 1990 to 15 May 1992, and he was succeeded by Samir Makdasi. From 1992 to 1996 he served as minister of health and social affairs. In the general elections of 1996 he won a seat from Chouf.

In October 2000, Hamadeh was appointed minister for the displaced to the cabinet led by then prime minister Rafik Hariri. Then he was appointed economy minister in cabinet rehuffle in 2003, replacing Bassel Fleihan. He was one of three ministers in the cabinet, who were members of the Progressive Socialist Party led by Walid Jumblatt. During this period, Hamadé was one of the close advisors to Jumblatt.

Hamadé was one of four members of the Lebanese Parliament who voted against the extension of president Lahoud’s term in office in September 2004. Hamadeh, formerly one of Syria's staunchest allies in Lebanon, became a critic of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon after Resolution 1559 was passed in 2005. Hamadé and the same three other cabinet members, including culture minister Ghazi Aridi, environment minister Farès Boueiz and refugee affairs minister Abdullah Farhat, also resigned from office on 7 September 2004 in protest at the constitutional amendment that allowed the three-year extension of then President Émile Lahoud's term. Then finance minister Fouad Siniora replaced Hamadé as acting economy minister. From 19 July 2005 to 11 July 2008 Hamadeh served as minister of telecommunications.

In the general elections of 2009, Hamadé won a seat from the Chouf district.

Assassination attempt

Hamadé was injured in a car bomb explosion in west Beirut on 1 October 2004 that killed his bodyguard and injured his driver. The blast is considered to have been the beginning of series of assassinations of Lebanese politicians and journalists, mostly anti-Syrian figures.

Then Syrian vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam visited Hamadé at the American University hospital after the attack.

Personal life

Hamadé is married to Vanda Barakat and has two children from his first wife.