Manal Abdel Samad
Manal Abdel Samad | |
---|---|
Minister of Information | |
In office 21 January 2020 – 10 September 2021 | |
Prime Minister | Hassan Diab |
Preceded by | Jamal Al-Jarrah |
Succeeded by | George Kurdahi |
Personal details | |
Born | Ammatour, Lebanon | 28 March 1975
Political party | Independent |
Alma mater | American University of Beirut University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne |
Manal Abdel Samad Najd (Arabic: منال عبد الصمد; 28 March 1975[1]) is a Lebanese politician and Minister of Information in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Hassan Diab since 21 January 2020.
Education[]
From 2004 to 2009, she studied fiscal laws at the American University of Beirut, from where she received an MBA.[2] She followed up on her studies and from 2010 and 2014 at the Sorbonne University in Paris, where she obtained a Ph.D.[2]
Professional career[]
In 1997, she began to serve in the Lebanese Ministry of Finance,[3] where she was involved in the implementation of a Value-added Tax (VAT) in Lebanon. Later she became the Head of the Department of Tax Legislation and Policy at the Directorate of VAT.[4] She was also a lecturer at both the Saint Joseph University and the American University of Beirut.[2]
Political career[]
In January 2020, she became the Minister of Information, after being proposed by the Prime Minister Dr. Hassan Diab as an independent candidate.[3] She was one of the six female ministers of a total of 20 in the Diab Government, which was viewed as a step in the right direction towards gender equality in Lebanese politics.[5] In relation of the spark of Coronavirus disease, conspiracy theories arose in Lebanon, which she countered by announcing a cooperation with World Health Organization, UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme.[6] She resigned her position on 9 August 2020, following the explosions in the port of Beirut.[7] The next day, Hassan Diab announced the resignation of the government, and Samad is fulfilling the duties of the minister as a caretaker until a successor is found.[8]
Personal life[]
Manal Abdel-Samad was born on 28 March 1975. She is married to Youssef Najd and has three children with him: Carole, Rayan and Rami-Jo. She is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.[9] Abdel-Samad is a Druze.[5]
References[]
- ^ "Abdel Samad, Manal (1975-....)". IdRef. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Libnanews, Newsdesk. "Qui est Manal Abdel Samad, la nouvelle ministre de l'information?". libnanews.com (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Who is in the new Lebanese government?". The National. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Vers une nouvelle gouvernance fiscale". fr.linkedin.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Six female ministers: a positive step in the right direction, but what about political impartiality?". L'Orient-Le Jour. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "The Ministry of Information partners with WHO, UNICEF and UNDP to counter the spread of COVID-19 misinformation in Lebanon". www.unicef.org. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ France-Presse, Agence (9 August 2020). "Lebanon information minister quits in first cabinet resignation since blast". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Lebanese government quits amid fury over Beirut blast". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Manal Biography". Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- 1975 births
- American University of Beirut alumni
- Druze people of Lebanese nationality
- Government ministers of Lebanon
- Lebanese Democratic Party politicians
- Living people
- Members of the Parliament of Lebanon
- Paris-Sorbonne University alumni
- People from Chouf District