Émile Lahoud facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Émile Lahoud
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إميل لحود
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Lahoud in 2008
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| 11th President of Lebanon | |
| In office 24 November 1998 – 24 November 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Rafic Hariri Selim Hoss Rafic Hariri Omar Karami Najib Mikati Fouad Siniora |
| Preceded by | Elias Hrawi |
| Succeeded by | Fouad Siniora (acting) Michel Suleiman |
| 11th Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces | |
| In office 28 November 1989 – 23 November 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Michel Aoun |
| Succeeded by | Michel Suleiman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 January 1936 Baabdat, French Lebanon |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse |
Andrée Amadouni
(m. 1967) |
| Alma mater | Britannia Royal Naval College Naval War College |
| Awards | OM, ONC |
| Religion | Maronite |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Lebanon |
| Branch/service | Lebanese Navy Lebanese Army |
| Years of service | 1956–1980 (Navy) 1980–1998 (Army) |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces |
| Battles/wars | Lebanese Civil War |
Émile Jamil Lahoud (born 12 January 1936) is a Lebanese politician. He served as the 11th president of Lebanon from 1998 to 2007. During his time as president, the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon ended in May 2000. This occupation had lasted since 1982.
Lahoud worked to reduce differences between religious groups. He also helped rebuild the Lebanese army with support from Syria. He was a close ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Many saw him as important in keeping Syria's influence in Lebanon.
Contents
Émile Lahoud's Early Life and Family
Émile Lahoud was born in Baabdat, Lebanon, on 12 January 1936. Some records from the Armed Forces say he was born in Beirut. He is the youngest son of General Jamil Lahoud, who was also a former minister.
His Mother's Armenian Roots
His mother, Andrenee Bajakian, came from an Armenian family. Her family was from the Armenian village of Kesab in Syria. Émile Lahoud's older brother, Nasri Lahoud, was a judge. He served as the military prosecutor general. Émile Lahoud is also the nephew of Salim Lahoud, who was the Lebanese foreign minister from 1955 to 1957.
Family History and the Armenian Genocide
Émile Lahoud's great-grandparents on his mother's side were Takouhi Kalebjian and Minas Sagerian. They were from Adabazar, Ottoman Empire (now Adapazarı, Republic of Turkey). This area is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Istanbul. Both Minas and Takouhi were killed during the Armenian genocide. This terrible event happened during World War I under the Ottoman Empire.
In 2001, Lahoud visited Armenia. During his visit, he went to Tsitsernakaberd. This is the Armenian Genocide memorial complex. He placed a wreath there to remember the victims.
Émile Lahoud's Education and Training
Lahoud went to elementary school at the Collège de la Sagesse in Beirut. He then attended Brummana High School for his secondary education. In 1956, he joined the Lebanese Army Naval Academy as a naval cadet. After one year, he studied at Dartmouth Naval College in the United Kingdom. He later returned to the Lebanese military academy and became an ensign.
In 1986, he took a navy engineering course in the United Kingdom. He also attended the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He graduated from there in 1973.
Émile Lahoud's Military Career
Lahoud steadily rose through the ranks in the military. He became a lieutenant junior grade in 1962 and a lieutenant in 1969. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1974 and commander in 1976.
Key Military Appointments
From 1980, he served as a Navy Engineer Staff Captain. He became a Navy Engineer Staff Rear Admiral in 1985. In 1989, he was promoted to Major Lieutenant General.
Even though he was trained as a naval officer, Lahoud moved into army roles. In 1970, he led the transportation section of the army's fourth division. This happened when his cousin, General Jean Njeim, became army commander.
In 1980, he became the Director of Personnel in the Army Command. In 1983, he worked at the Defense Ministry. There, he helped coordinate between ministry officials and the Commander of the Lebanese Army. This role was held by Michel Aoun in 1984.
Commander-in-Chief of the Army
In 1989, Lahoud was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the army. This was part of Elias Hraoui's government, which was supported by Western and Arab countries. As part of the Taef agreement, Lahoud helped extend the new Lebanese government's power. He sent General Elie Hayek to take control of Mount Lebanon. During his time as army chief, Lahoud allowed Syria to have strong control over Lebanon's security and military.
Émile Lahoud's Political Journey
Lahoud ran for president in 1998. The constitution had to be changed to allow the army commander-in-chief to run for office. Many believe Syria supported this change. He became Lebanon's president after getting 118 votes from the 128-member Lebanese Parliament.
Early Presidency and Key Decisions
When he became president in 1998, he worked closely with Hezbollah. He chose Selim al-Hoss as his prime minister. This caused some tension with Rafiq Hariri, another important politician. Lahoud also asked Syria to remove Ghazi Kanaan, Syria's intelligence chief in Lebanon. However, his request was not granted.
During his presidency, Lahoud had more control over government decisions. This was more than Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri or Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. In August 2001, he changed some rules about the president's power. He ordered security forces to arrest nationalist dissidents without telling Hariri or other ministers.
Extending the Presidential Term
Lahoud's six-year term was supposed to end in 2004. However, Syria wanted him to stay for three more years. They saw him as important for their influence in Lebanon. To do this, the constitution needed to be changed. Reports said that Syria pressured Hariri and others to agree to this change.
The idea of extending Lahoud's term caused a lot of unrest in Lebanon. In the end, Hariri and most of the parliament voted to extend Lahoud's term until November 2007. 96 deputies voted for it, and 29 were against it. However, four cabinet members resigned in protest on 7 September 2004. These included the economy minister, culture minister, environment minister, and refugee affairs minister.
Both the Iranian government and Hezbollah supported the extension of his term. The Iranian President congratulated Lahoud. A group of Hezbollah officials also visited Lahoud to congratulate him. Many saw this extension as a clear sign of Syria's control over Lebanese politics.
Views on Hezbollah
In a 2006 interview, Lahoud said that Hezbollah was respected in Lebanon. He stated they "freed our country." He also mentioned that even though Hezbollah is a small group, it stands up to Israel. He expressed his respect for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Lahoud's presidential term ended in 2007. A new president was not chosen right away. After six months of political disagreement, the Lebanese parliament elected former army chief Michel Suleiman as president.
Some people claimed Lahoud spent much of his presidency swimming and sunbathing. This was at the Yarzeh Country Club, near the presidential palace. While he had support from his Christian Maronite community and the military, some saw him as a weak leader. This was mainly because he often followed Syria's lead. The Druze leader Walid Jumblatt even called Lahoud a "helpless ghost."
Émile Lahoud's Personal Life
Émile Lahoud married Andrée Amadouni in 1967. They have three children:
- Karine (born 1969), who was married to Elias Murr.
- Emile (born 1975).
- Ralph (born 1977).
A book called Years of Resistance: The Mandate of Emile Lahood, the Former President of Lebanon was published in May 2012. It was written by Karim Pakradouni. The book looks at Lahoud's political life and his influence on Lebanon's history.
Honours and Awards
Émile Lahoud has received many awards and honours from Lebanon and other countries.
Awards from Lebanon
- The Medal of 31 December 1961
- Order of Merit (3rd Grade) (1971)
- Navy Medal (Excellent Grade) (1974)
- Order of Merit (2nd Grade) (1983)
- National Order of the Cedar (Knight) (1983)
- Order of Merit (1st Grade) (1988)
- National Order of the Cedar (Officer) (1989)
- War Medal, 1991 War Medal (1992)
- National Order of the Cedar (Grand Cordon) (1993)
- Medal of the "Dawn of the South" (1993)
- The Medal of National Unity (1993)
- Military Valor Medal (1994)
- State Security Medal (1994)
- Order of Merit (Extraordinary Grade) (1998)
Awards from Other Countries
Haiti : Medal of Merit and Honor (High Ranking Officer) (1974)
Romania : Tudor Vladimirescu Medal (4th degree) (1974), The "Star of Romania" Collar (2001)
France : Commander of the Legion of Honor (1996), Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor (2001)
Italy : Order of Merit (Senior Officer Rank) (1997)
Argentina : Great Cross of Argentina (1998)
Jordan : Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali (1999)
Qatar : Great Collar of Independence (1999)
Armenia : Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots (2000)
Saudi Arabia : Order of King Abdulaziz (2000)
United Arab Emirates : Great Collar of The Union (2000)
Kuwait : Great Collar of Mubarak (2000)
Egypt : Great Collar of the Nile (2000)
Bahrain : Collar of the Order of Khalifa (2000)
Slovakia : Order of the White Double Cross (1st Class) (2001)
Morocco : Order of Muhammad (Extraordinary Grade) (2001)
Tunisia : Order of November the 7th (highest Grade) (2001)
Monaco : Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi (13 July 2001)
Greece : Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer (2001)
Syria : Order of the Umayyads – Grand Cordon (2002)
Ukraine : Badge of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise – 1st class (2002)
Cyprus : Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III (2002)
Algeria : Order of the Athir (23 July 2002)
Yemen : Order of the Republic (2002)
Oman : Military Order of Oman – first category (2002)
Bulgaria : The Order Stara Planina (2003)- Gold Olympic Order (2003)
Brazil : National Order of the Southern Cross, Brasilia (2004), Big Cross of the Ipiranga Order, São Paulo (2004)
Hungary : Order of Merit – Grand Cross with Chain (2004)- Knight Grand Cross of Merit with Gold Star of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (2004), Knight Grand Cross of Merit with Gold Plate of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (2005)
Poland : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (2004)- Order of the Federation – 1st Class (Cordon), Arab Military Sports Federation (2005)
See also
In Spanish: Émile Lahoud para niños
