Dory Chamoun
Encyclopedia
Dory Chamoun (born 1931) is a Lebanese
politician who leads the National Liberal Party
, and is also a prominent member of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering
, a coalition of politicians, academics, and businessmen who oppose the pro-Syria
n March 8 Alliance and Syrian influence in Lebanon.
Dory Chamoun is the elder son of the late Camille Chamoun
(1900–1987), who was President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. An industrialist by profession, he showed much less interest in politics than his younger brother, Dany Chamoun
. After Dany was assassinated in 1990, In what is qualified as an "unfair trial" by several organizations such as Amnesty International, Samir Geagea, the rival Christian leader of the Lebanese Forces, was subsequently tried for the murder. The fairness of the trial was challenged by Dory who declared publicly on 25 April 2005 that he believed Geagea to be innocent and demanded a new investigation to uncover the real assassins, whom he suspected of being Syrian agents, however, he agreed to take over the leadership of the National Liberal Party, which his father had founded in 1958 and which Dany was leading at the time of his death. He has since travelled extensively, visiting Lebanese communities in France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, encouraging them to oppose the Syrian military occupation of Lebanon. He is known to be wary of foreign support; he has stated publicly that he does not trust Israel, which he accuses of "abandoning" Lebanese Christians at a time when they depended on Israeli aid, and has frequently expressed doubts about the sincerity of American and French demands for a withdrawal of Syrian forces
from Lebanon. He has expressed deep disappointment that countries to which the Lebanese opposition has looked for support have not, in his opinion, lived up to their expectations.
Chamoun led the National Liberal Party in its boycott of the last three parliamentary elections (1992, 1996, and 2000), which he claimed were gerrymandered and rigged to produce a pro-Syrian majority. Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
on 14 February 2005, he has been a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution
protests that have swept Beirut
, calling for the total withdrawal of all Syrian troops from Lebanese territory, the resignation of the pro-Syrian government, and the holding of free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections.
Chamoun's political boycott does not extend to municipal politics. He himself served as Mayor of the Deir el-Qamar municipality from 2004 until his election on the parliament seat in the Shouf in 2009.
Dory Chamoun has faced a number of personal tragedies in life, including the assassination not only of his brother Dany, but also of his youngest son. He has another son, Camille, who is also politically active and was an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate in the general election
held in May and June 2005.
On 27 January 2006 Dory Chamoun announced his candidacy for the vacated Maronite seat in Lebanon's Baabda-Aley by-election alongside reporter May Chidiac
who was also running for the same post. However, the seat went to Pierre Daccache, whom most of Lebanon's Christian parties accepted as a consensus candidate.
On 8 June 2009 Dory Chamoun was elected Member of Parliament for the Maronite Seat in the Shouf Area.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
politician who leads the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Lebanon)
The National Liberal Party is a center-right political party in Lebanon, established by President Camille Chamoun in 1958...
, and is also a prominent member of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering
Qornet Shehwan Gathering
The Qornet Shehwan Gathering is a Lebanese political organization, comprising politicians, intellectuals, and businessmen, mostly Christian and ranging in ideology from the centre-right to the center-left. The organization is not a political party in the classical sense: its members belong to,...
, a coalition of politicians, academics, and businessmen who oppose the pro-Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n March 8 Alliance and Syrian influence in Lebanon.
Dory Chamoun is the elder son of the late Camille Chamoun
Camille Chamoun
Camille Nimr Chamoun was President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958, and one of the country's main Christian leaders during most of the Lebanese Civil War ....
(1900–1987), who was President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. An industrialist by profession, he showed much less interest in politics than his younger brother, Dany Chamoun
Dany Chamoun
Dany Chamoun was a prominent Lebanese politician. A Maronite Christian and the younger son of former President Camille Chamoun, Dany Chamoun was also a politician in his own right, and was known for his opposition to the occupation of Lebanese territory by foreign forces, whether Syrian or...
. After Dany was assassinated in 1990, In what is qualified as an "unfair trial" by several organizations such as Amnesty International, Samir Geagea, the rival Christian leader of the Lebanese Forces, was subsequently tried for the murder. The fairness of the trial was challenged by Dory who declared publicly on 25 April 2005 that he believed Geagea to be innocent and demanded a new investigation to uncover the real assassins, whom he suspected of being Syrian agents, however, he agreed to take over the leadership of the National Liberal Party, which his father had founded in 1958 and which Dany was leading at the time of his death. He has since travelled extensively, visiting Lebanese communities in France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, encouraging them to oppose the Syrian military occupation of Lebanon. He is known to be wary of foreign support; he has stated publicly that he does not trust Israel, which he accuses of "abandoning" Lebanese Christians at a time when they depended on Israeli aid, and has frequently expressed doubts about the sincerity of American and French demands for a withdrawal of Syrian forces
Military of Syria
The Syrian Armed Forces are the military forces of Syria. They consist of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Air Defense Force.-Manpower:The President of Syria is the commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces, comprising some 646,500 troops upon mobilization. The military is a conscripted force;...
from Lebanon. He has expressed deep disappointment that countries to which the Lebanese opposition has looked for support have not, in his opinion, lived up to their expectations.
Chamoun led the National Liberal Party in its boycott of the last three parliamentary elections (1992, 1996, and 2000), which he claimed were gerrymandered and rigged to produce a pro-Syrian majority. Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri
Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri , was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
on 14 February 2005, he has been a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution
Cedar Revolution
The Cedar Revolution or Independence Intifada was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon triggered by the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.The primary goals of the original activists were the...
protests that have swept Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, calling for the total withdrawal of all Syrian troops from Lebanese territory, the resignation of the pro-Syrian government, and the holding of free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections.
Chamoun's political boycott does not extend to municipal politics. He himself served as Mayor of the Deir el-Qamar municipality from 2004 until his election on the parliament seat in the Shouf in 2009.
Dory Chamoun has faced a number of personal tragedies in life, including the assassination not only of his brother Dany, but also of his youngest son. He has another son, Camille, who is also politically active and was an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate in the general election
Lebanese general election, 2005
The 2005 Lebanese General Elections were the first elections in thirty years without a Syrian military or intelligence presence in Lebanon. These elections were the first in Lebanese history to be won outright by a single electoral block and were also the first to be monitored by the United...
held in May and June 2005.
On 27 January 2006 Dory Chamoun announced his candidacy for the vacated Maronite seat in Lebanon's Baabda-Aley by-election alongside reporter May Chidiac
May Chidiac
May Chidiac is a Lebanese Christian Maronite journalist.Chidiac is a former television journalist at the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation and one of the station's main television anchors until an assassination attempt on her life...
who was also running for the same post. However, the seat went to Pierre Daccache, whom most of Lebanon's Christian parties accepted as a consensus candidate.
On 8 June 2009 Dory Chamoun was elected Member of Parliament for the Maronite Seat in the Shouf Area.
External links
- Interview with Dory Chamoun. Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 11, November–December, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- NLP Official Website