Tammam Salam

Tammam Saeb Salam (Arabic: تمّام صائب سلام‎, Arabic pronunciation: [tamːaːm sˤaʔɪb salaːm]; born 13 May 1945) is a Lebanese politician who was the Prime Minister of Lebanon from February 2014 until December 2016. He also served as the acting President of Lebanon from May 2014 until October 2016 in his capacity as Prime Minister. He previously served in the government of Lebanon as Minister of Culture from 2008 to 2009.

Tammam Salam تمّام سلام
Salam in 2016
34th Prime Minister of Lebanon
In office 15 February 2014 – 18 December 2016
President	Michel Suleiman Himself (Acting) Michel Aoun
Deputy	Samir Mouqbel
Preceded by	Najib Mikati
Succeeded by	Saad Hariri
President of Lebanon Acting
In office 25 May 2014 – 31 October 2016
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Michel Suleiman
Succeeded by	Michel Aoun
Minister of Culture
In office 11 July 2008 – 9 November 2009
Prime Minister	Fouad Siniora
Preceded by	Tarek Mitri
Succeeded by	Salim Wardeh
Personal details
Born	13 May 1945 Beirut, Lebanon
Political party	Future Movement
Spouse(s)	Lama Badreddine
Children	3
Alma mater	Haigazian University

Salam was tasked with forming a new government on 6 April 2013. He was one of the independent Sunni politicians.[1] He is close to the March 14 Alliance, and still has good relations with the March 8 Alliance.[2] Salam was appointed Prime Minister on 15 February 2014.[3][4][5][6]

Early life and education

Salam was born into a prominent Sunni family in Beirut on 13 May 1945.[7] He comes from a politically powerful family in Lebanon.[7][8] He is the eldest son of the former Lebanese prime minister Saeb Salam, who held the office several times since independence.[9][10][11] His mother, Tamima Mardam Beik, is of Syrian origin and hails from Damascus.[12][13][14] His grandfather, Salim Ali Salam, was one of the Lebanese officials who served during the Ottoman era and French era.[15][16] More specifically, he served as a Beirut deputy in the Ottoman parliament and was also the head of the Beirut municipality.[16] Tammam Salam has two older sisters and two younger brothers.[17]

Tammam Salam is a graduate of Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais and Haigazian University in Beirut.[18][19] He also holds an economics and management degree, which he received in England.[20]

Early careers

Salam began his career as a businessman after graduation.[18] He joined the political field at the beginning of the 1970s.[18] He established the Pioneers of Reform Movement (Arabic: حركة روّاد الإصلاح‎) in 1973.[21][22] The objective of the movement was to follow a moderate policy in the middle of the turmoil in the country.[21] On the other hand, the movement was also regarded as the private militia group of Salam's father, Saeb Salam.[23] However, the movement was dissolved by Tammam Salam at the initial phase of the Lebanese civil war in order to avoid being part of the militant activities.[18]

In 1978, he joined the Makassed foundation, a non-profit charity organization in Beirut as a board member.[18] He became the president of the foundation in 1982.[24] The leadership of the foundation was passed through generations in the Salam family.[25][26] Tammam Salam resigned as president of the Foundation in September 2000.[27] He is currently the honorary president of the Foundation.[12] Later, he also became the head of the Saeb Salam Foundation for culture and higher education.[28]

Later politics

In the general elections of 1992, Salam was a candidate, but later he withdrew his candidacy as a protest over the Syrian dominance in Lebanon.[16][29] His boycott aimed at supporting the Lebanese Christians in an attempt to preserve the sectarian balance in the country.[30] Salam was first elected to the parliament in the 1996 elections from Beirut as an independent candidate.[31][32] However Salam lost his seat in the general elections held in 2000.[33][34] He did not run for office in the 2005 general elections.[35][36]

He was appointed minister of culture in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on 11 July 2008.[31][37] Salam also won his seat in the general elections held in 2009.[38] He entered an electoral alliance with Saad Hariri and became part of his list in Beirut's third district.[39][40] Salam is an independent member of the Lebanese parliament.[41][42] In addition, he is part of the Lebanon First bloc in the parliament,[43][44] but not a member of any political party, making him a centrist figure.[45]

30 September 2015 – President Tammam Salam addressed the United Nations General Assembly during general debates, attended other events both within the UN and beyond, met with various world leaders.[46]

Premiership

Following the resignation of Najib Mikati as prime minister on 23 March 2013, Salam was designated as a consensus Prime Minister.[47] The 14 March Alliance officially nominated Salam as Prime Minister.[48] Salam was tasked with forming a government on 6 April 2013 after garnering 124 votes out of 128 parliament members.[49][50][51] On 15 February 2014, he announced the formation of a new government of 24 ministers.[3]

In 2014, Salam became the acting president after the Parliament failed to elected a new one to succeed Michel Suleiman. Two years later, Michel Aoun was elected an took office, which led to his resignation and the forming of a new government.

Views

Following the assassination of Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005, Salam said "Playing with emotions is a very dangerous game in Lebanon, a game which Hariri himself never subscribed to." referring to mass demonstrations blaming Syria for the assassination in the country.[52]

Personal life

Salam is married to Lama Badreddine and has three children from a previous marriage.[12][20]

References

1. Moubayed, Sami (3 August 2006). "Nasrallah and the three Lebanons". Asia Times Online.
2. "Hezbollah bloc to back Salam for Lebanon premier". Reuters. 5 April 2013.
3. Lebanese PM unveils national unity cabinet Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
4. Lebanon Forms a Cabinet After 11 Months of Deadlock New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
5. Lebanon Cabinet formed after 10-month stalemate USA Today. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
6. Lebanon forms new government after months of political deadlock The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
7. "Lebanon Biographies of Potential Prime Ministers Following PM Karami's Cabinet Resignation". Wikileaks. 3 March 2003. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013.
8. R. Hrair Dekmejian (1975). Patterns of Political Leade: Egypt, Israel, Lebanon. SUNY Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-87395-291-0.
9. Moubayed, Sami (n.d.). "From Father to Son in Beiruti Politics". Mid East Views. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
10. Ranwa Yehia (27 January – 2 February 2000). "Salam bid farewell". Al Ahram Weekly. 466.
11. Hussein Dakroub (5 April 2013). "Salam emerges as Lebanon's next PM". The Daily Star. Beirut.
12. "Lebanon names Salam as prime minister". The Guardian. AP. 6 April 2013.
13. Bassem Mroue (5 April 2013). "Lebanon Names UK-Educated Lawmaker Prime Minister". ABC News. AP.
14. "Lebanon's Salam - consensus PM for tough times". France24. AFP. 6 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013.
15. "Lebanon's March 14 camp endorses PM candidate". Al Jazeera. 5 April 2013.
16. "How Tammam Salam Became a Consensual Candidate". Moulahazat. 5 April 2013.
17. Joseph A. Kechichian (9 May 2008). "One Lebanon was his vision". Gulf News.
18. Wassim Mroueh (5 April 2013). "Salam: Form, role of government more important than its head". The Daily Star.
19. "Haigazian University honors Minister of Culture". AZG Armenian Daily. 21 October 2008. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014.
20. "Consensus builds on new Lebanon PM Tamam Salam". Ahram Online. AFP. 5 April 2013.
21. Frank Tachau (1994). Political Parties of the Middle East and North Africa. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 342.  – via Questia (subscription required)
22. "1974 حركة رواد الاصلاح". Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
23. Samir Khalaf (1987). Lebanon's Predicament. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 91. – via Questia (subscription required)
24. "Profiles: Lebanon's new government". Lebanon Wire. 12 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013.
25. "Families, not parties, dominate Lebanese politics". The Courier. Beirut. AP. 11 February 1983.
26. Mourtada, Hania (7 April 2013). "Tamam Salam Asked to Form a Government in Lebanon". The New York Times.
27. "Salam heaps praise on Makassed". The Daily Star. 12 September 2000.
28. "Speakers". Arab Women Forum. 15–16 October 2009.
29. "Many Lebanese back polls boycott". New Straits Times. 30 August 1992.
30. "Lebanon's Salam - consensus premier for tough times". Al Arabiya. 6 April 2013.
31. "Meet the government". Now Lebanon. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013.
32. "Saeb Salam, 95, Former Lebanese Prime Minister". The New York Times. 23 January 2000.
33. "Murr Releases Official Results of Lebanon's Second Round of Elections". Albawaba. 5 September 2000.
34. Yehia, Ranwa (7–13 September 2000). "A 'Future' premier". Al Ahram Weekly. 498. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012.
35. Moubayed, Sami (8 July 2005). "The new face of Lebanon". Asia Times Online.
36. "Saad Hariri plegeges to contest elections within opposition ranks". Lebanon Wire. 10 May 2005. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013.
37. "Backgrounder: Lebanon's new cabinet line-up". Xinhua. Beirut. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014.
38. "Saudi envoy calls for cabinet formed 'inside Lebanon'". The Daily Star. 14 July 2009.
39. Sfeir, Therese (8 May 2009). "Hariri vows Future Movement 'will follow path of peace'". The Daily Star.
40. Moubayed, Sami (9 June 2009). "Hezbollah handed a stinging defeat". Asia Times Online.
41. "Salam says Sunnite sect would not fight with other sects". NNA. 21 March 2013.
42. "How MPs will vote". Now Lebanon. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
43. Hajj, Elie (4 April 2013). "Tammam Salam Likely March 14 Candidate for Lebanese Premier". Al Monitor.
44. "Salam supports a technocratic cabinet". Now Lebanon. 28 January 2011. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016.
45. Salem, Paul (10 April 2013). "Lebanon Averts Crisis but New Prime Minister Faces Major Challenges". Carnegie Middle East.
46. "Addressing UN, Lebanese Prime Minister calls on world powers to end 'ongoing massacres'". UN News. 30 September 2015.
47. "Tammam Salam Meets Hariri, Prince Bandar". Naharnet. 4 April 2013.
48. "Hariri led group nominates Salam as PM". Turkish Weekly Journal. Beirut. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014.
49. Pletts, Adam (6 April 2013). "Tammam Salam named new Lebanese prime minister". France 24.
50. "Tammam Salam named new Lebanese PM". Xinhua. Beirut. 6 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
51. "Lebanon names Tammam Salam as new prime minister". BBC. 6 April 2013.
52. Abdel Latif, Omayma (3–9 March 2005). "What next, Lebanon?". Al Ahram Weekly. 732. Archived from the original on 25 March 2013.