Hussein Hajj Hassan

Hussein Hajj Hassan
Minister of Agriculture
Incumbent
Assumed office
13 June 2011
Prime Minister Najib Mikati
Preceded by Himself
Minister of Agriculture
In office
9 November 2009 – 13 June 2011
Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Succeeded by Himself
Personal details
Born 1960 (age 54–55)
Nationality Lebanese
Political party Hezbollah
Alma mater University of Orléans
Religion Shia Islam

Hussein Hajj Hassan (born 1960) is a Lebanese politician and minister of agriculture.

Early life and education

Hajj Hassan was born into a Shia family in the Beqaa Valley in 1960. He holds a PhD in molecular biophysical chemistry, which he received from the University of Orléans, France in 1987.

Political career and views

Hajj Hassan is a member of the Lebanese Shia party Hezbollah.[1] He ran on the latter's electoral list in Lebanon's 1996 general election and was elected MP of the Beqaa's Baalbeck/Hermel constituency. In May 1998, he argued that although Islamic state is an ideal solution, Hezbollah is aware of its inapplicability in Lebanon.[2]

He was reelected in the 2000, 2005 and 2009 polls.[3][4] In 2009, he was among Hezbollah's 11 members of parliament.[5] In June 2009, he met with the then European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Beirut, representing Hezbollah.[5] From 2000 to 2005 he led the parliamentary commission on agriculture and tourism. He is part of the "Loyalty to the Resistance", an opposition parliamentary bloc.[6]

He was named on 9 November 2009 minister of agriculture in Saad Hariri's national unity government.[7] In January 2011, he and other two ministers, Gebran Bassil and Mohamad Jawad Khalifeh, resigned from the cabinet, leading to the collapse of Hariri government.[8]

He was appointed to Najib Mikati's cabinet again as a minister of agriculture in June 2011.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Greenberg, Joel (11 February 2000). "Lebanon Fighting Ebbs in Claims of Victory". The New York Times. p. 10.
  2. ↑ Staten, Cliff (2008). "From Terrorism to Legitimacy: Political Opportunity Structures and the Case of Hezbollah". OJPCR: The Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution 8 (1): 32–49. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "Elections in Lebanon". IFES. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Murr Releases Official Results of Lebanon’s Second Round of Elections". Albawaba. 5 September 2000. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "EU's Solana meets Hezbollah in Beirut". BBC. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Bathish, Hani M. (30 December 2006). "Hizbullah flays Jumblatt as a fickle friend". The Daily Star. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "Lebanon has a new cabinet". Ya Libnan (Beirut). 9 November 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Blanford, Nicholas (12 January 2011). "Hezbollah-led pullout brings down Lebanon's government". The CS Monitor. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  9. ↑ "Lebanon gets pro-Hezbollah Cabinet". Gamut News (Beirut). UPI. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2012.

See also