Najib Mikati

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Najib Mikati
نجيب ميقاتي
Najib Mikati portrait.jpg
Prime Minister of Lebanon
Assumed office
10 September 2021
PresidentMichel Aoun
DeputySaadeh Al Shami
Preceded byHassan Diab
In office
13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014
PresidentMichel Suleiman
DeputySamir Mouqbel
Preceded bySaad Hariri
Succeeded byTammam Salam
In office
19 April 2005 – 19 July 2005
PresidentÉmile Lahoud
DeputyElias Murr
Preceded byOmar Karami
Succeeded byFouad Siniora
Minister of Public Works and Transport of Lebanon
In office
6 December 1998 – 2003
PresidentÉmile Lahoud
Prime Minister
Personal details
Born (1955-11-24) 24 November 1955 (age 65)
Tripoli, Lebanon
Political partyAzm Movement
RelativesTaha Mikati (brother)
Alma materAmerican University of Beirut
Websitewww.najib-mikati.net

Najib Azmi Mikati (Arabic: نجيب عزمي ميقاتي‎; born 24 November 1955) is a Lebanese politician and businessman who serves as Prime Minister of Lebanon since he formed a government in 2021.

Mikati was close to the Syrian government and operated several telecom projects in Syria and Lebanon.[1] He served as Minister of Public Works and Transport from 1998 to 2003.

In 2005, he headed an interim government that supervised the general election following the withdrawal of Syrian troops. In 2011, he formed his second government backed by the March 8 alliance,[2] before he resigned in 2013. He was a member of parliament for Tripoli from 2000 to 2005 and was re-elected in 2009 and 2018. In July 2021, he was designated as PM.[3]

According to Forbes, he is the richest man in Lebanon, with a net worth of $2.5 billion in 2021.[4] He has been subject of multiple corruption accusations, and was charged with illegitimate gains.[5]

Early life and education[]

Mikati was born on 24 November 1955[6] and hails from a prominent Sunni Muslim family based in Tripoli.[7] He graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1980 with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.[8] He also attended a summer school program held at Harvard and the French business school INSEAD.[6]

Business career and wealth[]

Mikati at the World Economic Forum, 2013

In 1979, Najib's older brother Taha Mikati founded Arabian Construction Company (ACC), headquartered in Abu Dhabi, and which became one of the largest construction companies in the Middle East.[9] Najib Mikati co-founded the telecommunications company Investcom with his brother Taha in 1982. He sold the company in June 2006 to South Africa's MTN Group for $5.5 billion.[10] Taha and Najib Mikati retained their other operating units which are controlled through holding company M1 Group.[citation needed]

He owns the 79m motor yacht Mimtee.[11][12]

Political career[]

After being appointed Minister of Public Works and Transport on 4 December 1998, Mikati was elected to the Lebanese parliament from his hometown of Tripoli in 2000, outpolling Omar Karami, who was elected from the same multimember constituency. As a parliamentarian, Mikati retained his cabinet position and developed a reputation as a moderately pro-Syrian politician with a normal relationship with Syrian president Bashar Assad. Later Mikati was made transportation minister and became an ally of then Lebanese president Emile Lahoud, supporting the extension of his term in 2004.[13]

First premiership[]

Mikati was a perennial candidate for Lebanon's prime ministry since 2000, finally taking the office upon the resignation of Omar Karami on 13 April 2005.[14] During negotiations to form a government, Mikati emerged as a consensus candidate.[15] Mikati acted as a caretaker premier.[16] He is the leader of the solidarity bloc, which has had two seats in the Lebanese parliament since 2004. He also created the centrist movement and ideology in Lebanon and the Arab world, for which he has held many international conferences in Lebanon. In the general elections of 2009, Mikati won again a seat from Tripoli, being a member of the centrist groups in the Lebanese parliament.[17]

Second premiership[]

Mikati's meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2012) and John Kerry (2014).

On 24 January 2011, the March 8 alliance, specifically Hezbollah, Michel Aoun and Walid Jumblatt, nominated Mikati to become prime minister.[18] Mikati succeeded Saad Hariri, whose government was brought down by the resignation of ten of the alliance's ministers and one presidential appointee on 12 January 2011, resulting from the collapse of the Saudi-Syrian initiative to reach a compromise on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. On 25 January, 68 members of the parliament of Lebanon voted in favor of nominating Mikati for Prime Minister. President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman then invited Mikati to head a new Lebanese government. The process of government formation lasted for five months due to serious disagreements between leaders.[19] On 13 June 2011, Mikati became the Prime Minister of Lebanon for the second time.[citation needed]

On 13 June, Mikati announced the formation of the government and stated that it would begin by "liberating land that remains under the occupation of the Israeli enemy".[20][21] On 22 March 2013, Mikati resigned from office, due to "intensifying pressure between the pro-Assad and anti-Assad camps"[22] and the Lebanese president accepted his resignation on 23 March 2013.[23] On 6 April 2013, Tammam Salam was tasked to form a new government.[24]

Third premiership[]

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab in August 2020, both Mustafa Adib and Saad Hariri failed to form a government. Mikati was designated to fill the role on 26 July 2021.[25] He received 72 votes out of 128 MPs.[26] Mikati declared that he wants a purely technocratic government, without representatives of political parties, in order to carry out the economic reforms expected by Lebanon's donors.[27] His appointment was received coldly by the population. As the country sinks into a serious economic, social and humanitarian crisis, he is seen as a representative of the traditional political class and economic elites. According to the daily L'Orient-Le Jour, “if being a billionaire has long been an asset in establishing someone on the Lebanese political scene, it is now perceived by part of the population as a symbol of the plundering of public resources by the political class.[28] On September 10, 2021, Mikati was able to form a government of 24 members after long negotiations with President Aoun, and the various political parties.[29] He announced that he wanted to ask for help from Arab countries to try to get Lebanon out of the crisis it is going through.[30]

Corruption[]

In 2019, state prosecutor Ghada Aoun pressed charges against Mikati over illegitimate enrichment via subsidised housing loans.[31][32][33]

Bibliography[]

Dewailly, Bruno (2012), "Les transformations du leadership tripolitain : le cas de Nagib Mikati", in Mermier, F.; Mervin, S. (eds.), Leaders et partisans au Liban, Paris: Karthala - IFPO - IISMM, pp. 165–185, ISBN 978-2-8111-0595-2

References[]

  1. ^ لبناني, علي نور الدين-صحافي (5 August 2021). "Meet the Mikati Brothers: The Myanmar Communications Kings | Daraj". daraj.com. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Mikati: new government will restore trust in economy". The Daily Star. 28 May 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  3. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/world/middleeast/lebanon-prime-minister-Najib-Mikati.html
  4. ^ Mughal, Waqar. "Najib Mikati - The Richest Arab Billionaires 2021". Forbes Lists. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  5. ^ "بشارة تكليف ميقاتي". الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Profile: Najib Mikati". BBC. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  7. ^ William Harris (2012). Lebanon: A History, 600-2011. Oxford University Press. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-19-518111-1.
  8. ^ "Lebanese Power-brokers: The Most Powerful Families of Lebanon". Marcopolis. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  9. ^ "Taha Mikati", Bloomberg. Accessed 17 November 2015.
  10. ^ "The World's Billionaires". Forbes. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  11. ^ "CRN's 79m motor yacht Mimtee in Monaco". superyachttimes.com.
  12. ^ "Najib Mikati – Owner of the Yacht Mimtee". superyachtfan.com.
  13. ^ Fakih, Mohalhel (2–8 September 2004). "Pulling at Lebanon's strings". Al Ahram Weekly. 706. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  14. ^ Assir, Serene (21–27 April 2005). "Divided we fall". Al Ahram Weekly. 739. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  15. ^ Hosri, Danielle (16 April 2005). "Opposition-Backed Moderate Mikati Named Lebanese PM". Arab News. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  16. ^ Alaa Shahine; Massoud A. Derhally (13 June 2011). "Lebanon's Mikati Forms New Cabinet With Hezbollah Support". Bloomberg. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Elections in Lebanon" (PDF). IFES. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  18. ^ William Harris (19 July 2012). Lebanon: A History, 600-2011. Oxford University Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-19-518111-1. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  19. ^ Salem, Paul (15 June 2011). "Lebanon's New Government: Outlines and Challenges". Carnegie Middle East. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  20. ^ "Lebanon PM: New government to liberate land under occupation of 'Israeli enemy'." Reuters, 13 June 2011.
  21. ^ Simon, Kevin (2012). "Hezbollah: Terror in Context". Olin College of Engineering. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  22. ^ Salem, Paul (23 March 2013). "Lebanon Imperiled as Prime Minister Resigns Under Duress". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  23. ^ El Basha, Thomas (22 March 2013). "Lebanese PM announces resignation of his government". The Daily Star. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  24. ^ "Lebanon names Tammam Salam as new prime minister". BBC. 6 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  25. ^ Chehayeb, Kareem. "Lebanese Sunni leaders endorse Mikati to form new government". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Lebanese billionaire Najib Mikati picked as new PM-designate". France 24. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Mikati pour un gouvernement purement technocrate". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 27 July 2021.
  28. ^ "Le retour de Mikati fait grincer des dents". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 27 July 2021.
  29. ^ "Après 13 mois, un gouvernement enfin formé au Liban". Libnanews (in French). 10 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Liban: le premier ministre Najib Mikati annonce la composition du nouveau gouvernement". TV 5 Monde (in French). 10 September 2021.
  31. ^ Chehayeb, Kareem. "Lebanese Sunni leaders endorse Mikati to form new government". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  32. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Lebanon's former PM denies corruption charges | DW | 23.10.2019". DW.COM. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Prosecutor presses charges against Lebanon ex-PM: state media". France 24. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
Political offices
Preceded by
Omar Karami
Prime Minister of Lebanon
2005
Succeeded by
Fouad Siniora
Preceded by
Saad Hariri
Prime Minister of Lebanon
2011–2014
Succeeded by
Tammam Salam
Preceded by
Hassan Diab
Prime Minister of Lebanon
2021–present
Incumbent
Retrieved from ""