Élias Sarkis

Early life and education

Élias Sarkis was born in Chebanieh, a mixed Christian-Druze mountain village, to a shopkeeping family on 20 July 1924. His family was Maronite Christian.{{cite web

Sarkis attended the Chebanieh School and Frères School in Beirut. He began to work as a railway clerk during his university education, and then, graduated with a law degree from Saint Joseph University in 1948.{{cite news|title=Profiles of Lebanon's presidents since independence

Career

After graduation, Sarkis worked as a lawyer for three years.

Presidency

Sarkis contested the presidential election of 1970 as Chehab's protégé and was expected to win but was defeated by Suleiman Frangieh by a single vote.

Sarkis was, however, elected President for six-year term on 8 May 1976, while the Lebanese Civil War was raging.{{cite news|title=Elias Sarkis, Former Lebanese President

The election was held in the Versailles-style Esseily Villa, a private residence in Southeastern Beirut, since The National Assembly building was not safe due to ongoing attacks and battle. Sixty-six members of the Assembly elected him president on 8 May 1976. On the other hand, twenty-nine members of the Assembly boycotted the session. Sarkis could appoint Salim Hoss as prime minister in December 1976.{{cite book|title=The Middle East and North Africa 2003|url=https://archive.org/details/middleeastnortha50thunse|url-access=registration|year=2003

When Sarkis effectively began to serve as the President, he could not forge a lasting accommodation between Christian and Muslim factions. Also, the growing independent power of the Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon prompted two large-scale Israeli attacks, in 1978 and 1982. In November 1976, Sarkis wanted to include Druze za'im Kamal Jumblatt in the cabinet. However, Hafez al-Assad did not permit it due to Jumblatt's clear opposition to Syria's increasing influence in Lebanon.{{cite web|author=Nisan Mordechai|title=The Syrian occupation of Lebanese

On 5 March 1980, Sarkis developed his policy as part of his attempts to create national accord: unity, independence, parliamentarian democracy, rejecting the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. In June 1980, Salim Hoss resigned in protest against his inability to create peace in Lebanon. After much difficulties, Sarkis was able to appoint Shafik Wazzan as new prime minister. Sarkis was described as one who was in office but not in power.{{cite book|author=Edgar O'Ballance|title=Civil War in Lebanon, 1975–92

Just before the end of his term in 1982, Israel invaded southern Lebanon in the 1982 Lebanon War and had advanced to the outskirts of Beirut. He organized a peacekeeping force involving U.S., British, French and Italian troops in Beirut after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon to drive out the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1982. The members of the committee included the Amal movement’s leader, Nabih Berri, and the hardline Christian leader Bashir Gemayel. The body was significant in that it caused tensions in the Amal movement, because Hussein Musawi left the Amal protesting against Berri and founded Islamic Amal after this event.

Sarkis gained the respect of many Lebanese during his term, but critics accused him of indecisiveness. However, he was regarded as the choice of Syria but not the Muslim-Palestinian alliance. For that reason, 29 members of the Assembly boycotted the election session.

Succession

Sarkis was to be succeeded by Bachir Gemayel, who was elected president on 23 August 1982 with 57 votes. However, Gemayel was assassinated 21 days before he was due to take office. Amine Gemayel, Bachir's brother, was subsequently elected in his stead, and Sarkis handed the presidency over to him on 23 September 1982.

Illness and death

Sarkis died in Paris from cancer on 27 June 1985, at the age of 60.{{cite news

References

References

1. (25 July 2020). "The Story of Lebanon's Gold".
2. David S. Sorenson. (12 November 2009). "Global Security Watch—Lebanon: A Reference Handbook". ABC-CLIO.
3. (22 November 2007). "Lebanon's presidency – a source of strife since 1976". Lebanonwire.
4. (2012). "Hezbollah: A History of the "Party of God"". Harvard University Press.
5. (2007). "Middle East Issues". About.com.
6. "Elias Sarkis". Rulers.
7. Hassan Krayem. "The Lebanese civil war and the Taif agreement". American University of Beirut.
8. Mohammad Harfoush. (18 February 2013). "Hezbollah, Part 1: Origins and Challenges". Al Monitor.