The cabinet led by Prime Minister Amin Hafez was one of the short-lived cabinets of Lebanon. It was inaugurated on 25 April 1973, succeeding the cabinet led by Saeb Salam who resigned on 10 April 1973.[1] The tenure of the Hafez cabinet ended on 18 June 1973 following the Parliament's motion of no confidence.
Hafez Cabinet | |
|---|---|
 Cabinet of Lebanon | |
 Prime Minister Amin Hafez | |
| Date formed | 25 April 1973 |
| Date dissolved | 18 June 1973 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Suleiman Frangieh |
| Head of government | Amin Hafez |
| Deputy head of government | Gouad Ghosn |
| No. of ministers | 17 |
| Ministers removed | 11 |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Sixth Cabinet of Saeb Salam |
| Successor | Cabinet of Takieddin Solh |
Overview
editPrime Minister Saeb Salam and his cabinet resigned on 10 April 1973 when the Mossad agents attacked the headquarters of Palestinians in Beirut and killed three Palestinians who were leading members of the Fatah.[2][3] Upon this incident due to pressures from the Sunni community Salam requested the dismissal of the commander of the Lebanese army, Iskandar Ghanem, which was not accepted by the President Suleiman Frangieh.[2][3] Because Ghanem was a close ally of Frangieh and a Maronite.[3]
Frangieh first asked Rashid Karami and then Abdallah Yafi to establish a new cabinet, but both declined his proposal.[2] Then he asked Amin Hafez to form the cabinet, and he was given the task on 18 April 1973.[4] Hafez was an academic and did not hold any cabinet post, but had been a member of the Lebanese Parliament since 1960 representing Tripoli.[4] At the Parliament he was part of the group headed by Rashid Karami.[4] Hafez had good relations with other political leaders such as Kamal Jumblatt, Kamel Asaad and the outgoing Prime Minister Saeb Salem who supported his appointment.[2] In fact, it was Kamal Jumblatt who proposed his premiership to Suleiman Frangieh.[5] However, just before the announcement of the cabinet members the violence between the Lebanese army and the Palestine Liberation Army intensified due to the Israeli attack mentioned above.[2] Because of these tensions the leading supporters of Hafez demanded his resignation to reduce the capacity of President Frangieh to attack against Palestinians.[2] Hafez did not approve their request stating that as a prime minister he could diminish these attacks.[2]
Cabinet members
editThe cabinet was composed of 17 members which were announced on 25 April.[6][7] Only six members were newcomers, and the others served in the previous cabinet.[1] Their distribution based on the sectarian affiliation was as follows: Armenian Orthodox (1); Druze (1); Greek Catholic (2); Greek Orthodox (2); Maronite (4); Shiite (3) and Sunni (4).[6]
List of ministers
editThe cabinet was made up of the following members:[6][7]
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | ||
| Deputy Prime Minister | Fouad Ghosn | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Marada Movement | |
| Minister of Finance | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | ||
| Minister of Interior | Bashir Al Awar | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | |
| Minister of Justice | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | National Liberal Party | ||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | ||
| Minister of National Defense | Fouad Ghosn | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Marada Movement | |
| Minister of Housing and Cooperatives | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | ||
| Minister of National Education and Fine Arts | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Kataeb Party | ||
| Minister of Information and Public Health | Amin Hafez | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | |
| Minister of Labour and Social Affairs | Emile Rouhana Sakr | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | |
| Minister of Industry and Petroleum | Zakariya Nsouli | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | |
| Minister of Agriculture | Fahmi Chahine | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | |
| Minister of Economy and Commerce | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | ||
| Minister of Electrical and Hydraulic Resources | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Popular Bloc | ||
| Minister of Public Works and Transportation | Najib Alameddine | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | |
| Minister of Post, Telegraph and Telephone | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Marada Movement | ||
| Minister of Tourism | Ali Al Khalil | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Independent | |
| Minister of General Planning | 25 April 1973 | 18 June 1973 | Armenian Revolutionary Federation | ||
Motion of no confidence
editOn 12 June 1973 the Parliament met for the voting of confidence session.[6] At least 51 members of the Parliament should vote in favor of the cabinet, but 32 members boycotted the voting session and four members did not attend it due to several reasons.[6] Interestingly, two members of the cabinet, Bahij Tabbara and Zakariya Nsouli, did also not attend the session.[6] Next day they submitted their resignations to the President.[8] Takieddine Al Solh was designated to form a new cabinet on 18 July 1973.[2][6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Tried to stave off Lebanon's civil war". The National. 25 July 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dan Nour (2013). "The Quest for a Balance of Power in Lebanon during Suleiman Frangieh's Presidency, 1970–76". Middle Eastern Studies. 46 (4): 992–994. doi:10.1080/00263206.2013.849697. S2CID 153423927.
- ^ a b c Meir Zamir (January 1990). "The Lebanese Presidential Elections of 1970 and Their Impact on the Civil War of 1975- 1976". Middle Eastern Studies. 16 (1): 64. doi:10.1080/00263208008700424.
- ^ a b c "Lebanon: New Prime Minister Designate Dr. Amin Al Hafez Talks To Newsmen". British Pathe. Reuters. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ James R. Stocker (2016). Spheres of Intervention: US Foreign Policy and the Collapse of Lebanon, 1967–1976. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. p. 105. ISBN 9781501704154.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Government of Amin Al-Hafez: Confidence Session Not Convened". The Monthly. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Chronology February 16, 1973-May 15, 1973". The Middle East Journal. 27 (3): 364. 1973. JSTOR 4325101.
- ^ Farid El Khazen (2020). The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967–1976. London; New York: I.B. Taurus. p. 248. ISBN 978-0-7556-1816-3.