Hassan Diab facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hassan Diab
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حَسَّان دِيَاب
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Diab in 2020
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| 51st Prime Minister of Lebanon | |
| In office 21 January 2020 – 10 September 2021 |
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| President | Michel Aoun |
| Deputy | Zeina Akar |
| Preceded by | Saad Hariri |
| Succeeded by | Najib Mikati |
| 8th Minister of Education and Higher Learning | |
| In office 13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014 |
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| President | Michel Suleiman |
| Prime Minister | Najib Mikati |
| Preceded by | Hasan Mneimneh |
| Succeeded by | Elias Abou Saab |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 June 1959 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Nuwar Mawlawi |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater |
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Hassan Diab (Arabic: حَسَّان دِيَاب, romanized: Hassân Diyâb; born 1 June 1959) is a Lebanese academic, engineer, and politician. He served as the prime minister of Lebanon from January 2020 to September 2021. Before that, he was the Minister of Education from 2011 to 2014.
Early Life and Education
Hassan Diab was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on June 1, 1959. He studied engineering at different universities. In 1981, he earned a bachelor's degree in communications engineering from Leeds Metropolitan University. He then got a master's degree in systems engineering from the University of Surrey in 1982. Finally, he completed his education with a PhD in computer engineering from the University of Bath in 1985.
Academic Career
After finishing his studies, Diab became a professor of electrical engineering. He joined the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1985. During his time as an academic, he wrote many articles and papers for scientific journals and conferences. He was also a strong supporter of making education better in Lebanon. He even wrote books about how to improve the education system. From 2006 to 2011, he worked as the vice president for regional programs at the AUB.
In June 2011, Hassan Diab was chosen to be the Minister of Education and Higher Education. He served in this role until February 2014.
Time as Prime Minister
Hassan Diab became the Prime Minister of Lebanon on December 19, 2019. This happened during a time of protests in the country, which had led to the previous prime minister, Saad Hariri, stepping down. Diab was supported by 69 out of 128 members of the Lebanese parliament. His support came from certain political groups, but not from all parts of his own community.
Diab is an independent politician, meaning he doesn't openly support any specific political party. He wasn't very well-known to the public before he became prime minister.
Lebanon's new government was officially formed on January 21, 2020. Diab announced that his new government would have twenty members, mostly experts in their fields (called technocrats). He said they would work on new election laws, create an independent judiciary (fair courts), and get back public money that had been taken.
One of the big challenges during his time was the country's economy. In March 2020, Diab announced that Lebanon would not be able to pay back its national debt for the first time ever.
In August 2020, a huge explosion happened in the port of Beirut. After this terrible event, Diab's government declared a two-week state of emergency. This gave the Lebanese military special powers in the city. Many people were very angry at the government because they felt it had failed to prevent the disaster and solve the country's problems.
On August 8, 2020, large protests broke out. People were so upset that some even took over government buildings. Hassan Diab said that Lebanon needed early parliamentary elections to get out of the crisis. On August 10, he offered his government's resignation. He continued to serve as a caretaker prime minister until a new government was formed in September 2021.
Personal Life
Hassan Diab is married to Nuwar Mawlawi, and they have three children. He is a Sunni Muslim.
See also
In Spanish: Hassan Diab para niños
