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Born in Beirut, Gemayel is the son of Pierre Gemayel, founder of the Kataeb Party. Gemayel was elected to the presidency by the National Assembly on September 21, 1982, to succeed his brother Bachir Gemayel who had been elected the previous month but had been assassinated before taking office.
After obtaining a law degree, Amine Gemayel concentrated on building up his family's newspaper business. In 1969, he won a contested byelection to a seat in the National Assembly made vacant by the death of an uncle. He won reelection in 1972, the last election to be held for 20 years.
While his younger brother Bashir was regarded as a political radical, espousing the expulsion of Palestinian guerrillers from Lebanese soil and a radical overhaul of the political system, and hinting at a possible peace settlement with Israel, Amine Gemayel was considered more moderate. Always a consensus politician, he avoided, at least in his pre-presidential years, alienating Moslem politicians as his brother had done. When Bashir Gemayel was assassinated, therefore, Amine was regarded as a natural choice to bring together both the supporters of his slain brother, and his Moslem opponents.
The presidency proved to be a nearly impossible calling, however. With foreign armies occupying two-thirds of the country ( SyriaThe Syrian Arab Republic is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering (from south to north) on Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. The border with Israel is subject to dispute, pending the resolution of outstanding conflicts over possession of the Gola in the north and east, Israel in the south), and private armies independent of government control occupying most of the rest, Gemayel's government lacked any real power. His efforts to reach a peace settlement with Israel were stymied by Syria and by Moslem politicians at home. His government found itself largely unable to collect income tax, as warlords controlling the ports and major cities pocketed the tax take themselves. Many have criticized Gemayel for not moving decisively enough to assert the authority of the government, but others have pointed out that with most of the country under foreign occupation, there was little that he could do. In virtually impossible circumstances, he kept a semblance of constitutional order.
This order began to unravel in 1988. Gemayel, whose term was due to end on 23 September, was constitutionally barred from reelection. Syria, still occupying much of Lebanon, insisted on proposing Michael Daher , who was well-known for his pro-Syrian views, as the new president, but he was unacceptable to Christian politicians, many of whom preferred Dany ChamounDany Chamoun ( 1934- 1990) the son of former president Camille Chamoun was a prominent Lebanese politician. The leader of the National Liberal Party and President of the Lebanese Front a coalition of nationalist and mainly Christian parties and politician, the son of former president Camille ChamounCamille Chamoun was President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958, and served his country in numerous other capacities throughout his adult life. A staunch nationalist and fervent anti-communist, Chamoun opposed the Pan-Arabism advocated by Egypt's president, Ga, or General Michel AounMichel Aoun Lebanese military commander and politician. A Maronite Christian, was born in 1935 in Beirut. His family was deeply religious and he attended Catholic schools. Aoun finished his secondary education in 1955 and enrolled in the Military Academy, the commander of the army. Chamoun and Aoun were both unacceptable to Syria and to Moslem politicians in Lebanon. A constitutional crisis developed. Fifteen minutes before the expiry of his term, Gemayel appointed Aoun to the post of Prime MinisterThis page lists prime ministers of Lebanon. See also list of Presidents of Lebanon, lists of incumbents. Prime Ministers of Lebanon, 1926-present Auguste Adib Pacha: 31 May 1926 5 May 1927 Bechara El-Khoury: 5 May 1927 10 August 1928 Habib Pacha Es-Saad:, who takes on the role of Acting President if the presidency is vacant. He did so to preserve the tradition that the president, and by implication (in his eyes, anyway) anyone acting in that role, should be a Maronite Christian, but thereby went against the tradition of reserving the premiership for a Sunni Moslem. Moslem politicians and warlords refused to accept the Aoun government, instead recognizing a rival government of Salim al-Hoss , whom Gemayel had dismissed in favour of Aoun.
Hoping that his absence would help to heal the divisions of Lebanon, Gemayel went into exile for the next twelve years, living variously in Switzerland, France, and the United States. In 2000, however, he returned to Lebanon and began to organize the opposition to the government of President Émile Lahoud, whom he regarded as a Syrian puppet. Thwarted in his bid to regain control of the Kataeb Party, he founded a new political force, Kataeb al-Qaida , which claims to be the true successor to the old Kataeb Party founded by Pierre Gemayel. He also joined the Qornet Gathering , a group of anti-government politicians (mostly Christian) leading numerous different political parties. His son, Pierre Gemayel, Jr. , was elected to Parliament in 2000, and has established his reputation as a moderate opposition politician.
In 2003, Amine Gemayel attempted to act as an intermediary between U.S. President George W. Bush and the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein. Although his efforts to forestall the ensuing Gulf War were not successful, they fuelled speculation that he might be a candidate for Secretary General of the United Nations when Kofi Annan's term expires.
Gemayel is married to the former Joyce Tyan . He is fluent in English and French, and is regarded as a scholar of Classical Arabic.
Gemayel, Amine| Politics | Business | Finance |
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