Fouad Siniora[a] (Arabic: فؤاد السنيورة, romanized: Fu'ād as-Sanyūrah; born 19 July 1943) is a Lebanese politician, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon, a position he held from 19 July 2005 to 25 May 2008. He stepped down on 9 November 2009 in favor of Saad Hariri, the late Rafik Hariri's son.[1] He is the leader of the parliamentary group of the Future Movement.[2]
He served as Minister of State for Financial Affairs from 1992 to 1998, and as Minister of Finance from 2000 to 2004.[5]
Prime minister
After the victory of the anti-Syrian opposition in parliamentary elections held in May and June 2005, Fouad Siniora was asked by President Émile Lahoud on 30 June 2005 to form a government. He resigned from the chairmanship of Group Méditerranée (a banking holding controlled by the Hariri family). After laborious negotiations with the President and the different political forces, Siniora formed a government on 19 July 2005.[6]
2006 Lebanon War
On 12 July 2006, Hezbollah launched a deadly cross-border attack against Israel, who subsequently started a 33-day heavy bombardment and land invasion of Lebanon, also known as the 2006 Lebanon War.[7] On 27 July 2006, Siniora, seeking to end the conflict, presented a seven-point Siniora Plan at a 15-nation conference in Rome. Siniora also called for an Arab League meeting in Beirut. During a televised address at the conference, he famously "sobbed" as he described the effects of the war on the Lebanese people.[8]
Events leading to the Doha Agreement
On 13 November 2006, Shiite ministers backed by Hezbollah and Amal resigned from Siniora's cabinet. This took place on the eve of the day when the Special Tribunal for Lebanon trying the murderers of Rafik Hariri was to be discussed in a cabinet meeting. Although there were only six resigning ministers, nearly 40% of the Lebanese MPs are in the opposition.
The Lebanese opposition claimed that this resignation meant that the Siniora Government was not a legitimate one because it did not represent all religious groups in Lebanon, namely the Shiite Lebanese. According to the constitution, the government is legal as long as it has two-thirds of the ministers, and so the majority believed the Siniora government was still a totally legal cabinet.[9]
On 1 December 2006, the parliamentary minority, primarily the pro-Syrian parties of Amal, Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement of Michael Aoun launched a campaign of street demonstrations with the goal of getting veto power in the government. The country was further put into paralysis when the opposition refused to attend the parliament and vote for a new president, after Emile Lahoud's presidential term expired. This meant the Fuad Siniora was an acting president until the new president was voted in.
On 7 May 2008, Hezbollah, Amal and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, among others, launched an armed strike against Beirut. The Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, the Government's Grand Serail, and houses of majority leaders, Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt, were all put under siege. Mount Lebanon was also attacked in the operation. Revenge attacks broke out in other areas of Lebanon.[10]
Post-premiership
Siniora has continued to criticise Hezbollah's influence in Lebanon, saying that "Practically, Lebanon as a state has been kidnapped by Hezbollah. And behind Hezbollah is Iran". In 2024, he opposed Lebanon being dragged into the war in Gaza, saying that the country "cannot afford, in principle, to get involved".[11]
Personal life
Siniora is known for his interest in Arab literature and poetry.
^Moubayed, Sami (8 July 2005). "The new face of Lebanon". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 12 December 2005. Retrieved 27 March 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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