Said al-Ghazzi

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Said al-Ghazzi سعيد الغزي

Prime Minister al-Ghazzi at the Syrian Parliament in 1956
Prime Minister of Syria
In office 19 June 1954 – 3 November 1954
President	Hashim al-Atassi
Preceded by	Sabri al-Assali
Succeeded by	Faris al-Khoury
In office 13 September 1955 – 14 June 1956
President	Shukri al-Quwatli
Preceded by	Sabri al-Assali
Succeeded by	Sabri al-Assali
Speaker of the Parliament of Syria
In office September 17, 1962 – March 7, 1963
Preceded by	Anwar Sadat
Succeeded by	Mansur al-Atrash
Personal details
Born	1893 Damascus, Ottoman Syria
Died	18 September 1967 (aged 73–74)
Political party	independent
Religion	Sunni Islam

Said Al-Ghazzi (Arabic: سعيد الغزي‎) (1893, Damascus – 18 September 1967) was a Syrian lawyer, politician and two time prime minister of Syria. Al-Ghazzi was well known in Syrian politics as an independent liberal which made him a favorite to all in times of crisis.^[1]

Career

Before entering politics Said al-Ghazzi was one of the leading lawyers in Syria.^[1] He started his political career in 1928 when he joined the National Bloc that opposed the French mandate of Syria. He was an appointed member of the constitutional assembly which laid out the first constitution in republican Syria. His first cabinet position was in 1936 when the nationalists came to power after the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence. Prime minister Jamil Mardam Bey appointed al-Ghazzi as minister of justice. He was to hold that position again in two later cabinets, the first in 1945 and the second in 1948.^[1] He also served as minister of finance in 1939.^[2]

In the early days of the Shukri al-Quwatli presidency al-Ghazzi served as the vice-speaker of the parliament, but he lost the nationalists' support in the early 1940s for backing the French-sponsored president, Taj al-Din al-Hasani. In 1943 he rejoined the nationalists and was elected as part of Quwatli's election list.^[1]

First cabinet

Said al-Ghazzi formed his first cabinet in 1954 in which he served as the minister of defense. His cabinet came in a time of turmoil right after the overthrow of the military dictatorship of Adib Shishakli. Al-Ghazzi's primary concern was keeping the army in its barracks and ending the civilian-military hostility created by his predecessor, Sabri al-Assali. He was faced with antagonism from the military establishment from the start, amid fears that he would continue the military containment program started by Sabri al-Assali.^[3] Following the 1954 parliamentary elections al-Ghazzi tendered his resignation to president Hashim al-Atassi and retired to his legal office in Damascus to continue his private life as a lawyer.^[4]

Second cabinet

In 1955 the nation was in turmoil again following the assassination of Adnan al-Malki and Quwatli was again elected president. Failing to convince any party member to form a cabinet, Quwatli turned to al-Ghazzi with the offer. Al-Ghazzi accepted and started the consultation process. The new cabinet was ready on September 6.^[5]

During his new tenure as prime minister al-Ghazzi did his best to please two elements to help stabilize the nation: the military establishment, and Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt. He also worked to keep Syria within the Eastern bloc, announcing Syria's new friendship with the USSR as well as several arms and trade deals with other eastern countries. His cabinet collapsed in June 1956 after opposition to his strong ties to Nasser and the USSR.^[6]

Later life

Said al-Ghazzi retired from public life during the short-lived United Arab Republic. He came back to serve as speaker of the parliament after the breakup of the union in 1961, serving until the March 1963 coup that brought the Baath Party to power. He died in 1967.^[7]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Moubayed, 2000, p. 120.
↑ Moubayed, 2000, p. xxiv.
↑ Moubayed, 2000, p.112.
↑ Moubayed, 2000, p.124.
↑ Moubayed, 2000, p.141-142.
↑ Moubayed, 2000, p.144-145.
↑ Said al-Ghazzi, Damascus Online.

Bibliography

Moubayed, Sami M. (2002), Damascus between democracy and dictatorship, University Press of America, ISBN 978-0-7618-1744-4

Preceded by Sabri al-Assali	Prime Minister of Syria 19 June 1954 – 3 November 1954	Succeeded by Faris al-Khoury
Preceded by Sabri al-Assali	Prime Minister of Syria 13 September 1955 – 14 June 1956	Succeeded by Sabri al-Assali

v t e Prime Ministers of Syria since 1920

Kingdom of Syria (1920)	al-Rikabi H. al-Atassi* al-Durubi al-Ulshi

French Mandate of Syria (1920–1946) post established 1932	H. al-Azm al-Hasani A. al-Ayyubi Mardam Bey al-Haffar al-Bukhari post vacant, 1939–41 K. al-Azm al-Hakim H. al-Barazi al-Ulshi al-Jabiri al-Khoury al-Jabiri

Syrian Republic (1946–1958)	al-Jabiri K. al-Azm* Mardam Bey K. al-Azm al-Za'im M. al-Barazi H. al-Atassi al-Kudsi K. al-Azm al-Kudsi K. al-Azm al-Hakim al-Khatib al-Dawalibi Selu Shishakli al-Asali al-Ghazzi al-Khoury al-Asali al-Ghazzi al-Asali

United Arab Republic (1958–1961)	Kahala Sarraj

Syrian Arab Republic (1961–present)	al-Kuzbari al-Nuss al-Dawalibi al-Azma K. al-Azm al-Bitar al-Hafiz al-Bitar al-Hafiz Zuaiyin al-Bitar Zuaiyin N. al-Atassi al-Assad Khleifawi M. al-Ayyubi Khleifawi al-Halabi al-Kasm Zuabi Mero al-Otari Safar Hijab Ghalawanji* al-Halqi

* acting

v t e Speakers of the Parliament of Syria since 1919

al-Atassi* Muayyad al-Atassi al-Khoury al-Jabiri al-Khoury Kikhia al-Dawalibi al-Kudsi al-Kuzbari al-Kudsi al-Hawrani Sadat† al-Kuzbari Ghazzi al-Atrash al-Khatib al-Yusufi al-Halabi Hadid Zuabi Kaddoura al-Otari al-Abrash al-Laham

*president of the Syrian National Congress †within the UAR

Persondata
Name	Ghazzi, Said al-
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1893
Place of birth	Damascus, Ottoman Syria
Date of death	18 September 1967
Place of death

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