Élias Sarkis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Élias Sarkis
إلياس سركيس OM, ONC
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 6th President of Lebanon | |
| In office 23 September 1976 – 22 September 1982 |
|
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Suleiman Frangieh |
| Succeeded by | Bachir Gemayel (elected) Amine Gemayel |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Élias Youssef Sarkis
20 July 1924 Chebanieh, Lebanon |
| Died | 27 June 1985 (aged 60) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Chebanieh |
| Political party | Chehabist |
| Spouse | Bachelor |
| Alma mater | Saint Joseph University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Maronites |
Élias Sarkis (born 20 July 1924 – died 27 June 1985) was a Lebanese lawyer. He served as the President of Lebanon from 1976 to 1982.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Élias Sarkis was born on 20 July 1924 in Chebanieh, a mountain village in Lebanon. His family owned a shop and belonged to the Maronite Christian faith.
He went to school in Chebanieh and Beirut. While studying at university, he worked as a clerk for the railway. In 1948, he earned a law degree from Saint Joseph University.
Career Highlights
After finishing his studies, Sarkis worked as a lawyer for three years. He then became a close helper of Fuad Chehab, who would later become Lebanon's president in 1958.
In 1953, Sarkis was made a judge in the court that checks government spending. Later, he became the head of the President's office. In 1968, he was chosen to be the governor of the central bank of Lebanon. He stayed in this important job for 9 years. The president at the time, Charles Helou, asked him to fix Lebanon's banks during a financial crisis.
Presidency Challenges
Sarkis ran for president in 1970 and was expected to win. However, he lost to Suleiman Frangieh by just one vote.
He was elected President for a six-year term on 8 May 1976. This happened while the Lebanese Civil War was raging. Syria and its leader, Hafez Assad, wanted him to be president.
The election could not be held in the main government building because it was too dangerous due to fighting. Instead, it took place in a fancy private house called Esseily Villa in Beirut. Sixty-six members of the Assembly voted for him. However, twenty-nine members, mostly from left-wing and Palestinian groups, refused to attend the meeting.
Sarkis also couldn't take his oath of office at the main building. He had to do it at a hotel in Shtaura, a city 25 miles from Beirut. He could only start his job four months after being elected, on 23 September 1976. This was because the former President Frangieh didn't want to leave office at first. In December 1976, Sarkis was able to appoint Salim Hoss as prime minister.
When Sarkis became president, he found it hard to bring Christian and Muslim groups together for peace. Also, Palestinian fighters in Lebanon were becoming very powerful on their own. This led to two big attacks by Israel in 1978 and 1982.
During this time, many groups who wanted a strong Lebanon and those with left-wing ideas formed the Lebanese National Movement (LNM), led by Kamal Jumblatt. Another group, called the Lebanese Front, was made up of conservative Christian parties. President Sarkis tried many ways to find a peaceful solution, but none of them worked. This was because these two main groups had very different goals. The Lebanese Front slowly became stronger, waiting for the right time to make their own rules. The LNM, however, relied too much on the Palestinians and couldn't start peace talks to stop the civil war. In November 1976, Sarkis wanted to include Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt in his government. But Syria's leader, Hafez Assad, didn't allow this. Jumblatt was against Syria having more power in Lebanon.
On 5 March 1980, Sarkis announced his plan for peace in Lebanon. His goals were unity, independence, a government chosen by the people, and not supporting the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel (called the Camp David Accords). In June 1980, Salim Hoss quit because he couldn't bring peace to Lebanon. After many difficulties, Sarkis appointed Shafik Wazzan as the new prime minister. People said Sarkis was president, but he didn't have much real power.
Just before his term ended in 1982, Israel attacked southern Lebanon in the 1982 Lebanon War and reached the edge of Beirut. Sarkis brought in peacekeepers from the U.S., Britain, France, and Italy to Beirut after Israel's attack, which aimed to remove the Palestine Liberation Organization. In 1982, Sarkis also created a special committee to deal with the effects of the Israeli invasion. Important members of this committee were Nabih Berri, leader of the Amal Movement, and Bashir Gemayel, a strong Christian leader. This committee caused problems within the Amal movement. Hussein Musawi left Amal because he disagreed with Berri and started a new group called Islamic Amal.
Many Lebanese people respected Sarkis during his time as president. However, some critics said he was not decisive enough. He was seen as Syria's choice, but not the choice of the Muslim-Palestinian alliance. This is why 29 members of the Assembly refused to attend his election session.
Succession and Death
Bachir Gemayel was elected to take over from Sarkis on 23 August 1982. He won with 57 votes. However, Gemayel was killed 21 days before he was supposed to become president. Amine Gemayel, Bachir's brother, was then elected instead. Sarkis handed the presidency over to Amine Gemayel on 23 September 1982.
Élias Sarkis died from cancer in Paris, France, on 27 June 1985, at the age of 60. His body was brought back to Lebanon. The Lebanese President at the time, Amine Gemayel, led the mourners at his funeral in Beirut on 29 June 1985. A Syrian government minister, representing President Hafez Assad, also attended the service. Sarkis was buried in his hometown, Chebanieh, on the same day.
Images for kids
-
Sarkis in the early 1970s
See also
In Spanish: Elias Sarkis para niños
