Najah Wakim
Encyclopedia
Najah Wakim is the president and one of the founders of the Lebanese leftist group the People's Movement
. He is a secular lebanese lawyer who believes in secular Arabist ideology.
He managed to defeat Nasim Majdalani in 1972's Lebanese parliamentary elections for the Orthodox seat, and he was a supporter of Gamal Abdel Nasser
. He was not involved in any military work during the Lebanese Civil War
. However, several death threats were issued against him and several attempts were made on his life most notably on October 1, 1987. In 1982, he highly opposed the Israeli invasion of Beirut and voted against the Israeli-supported presidential candidate Bashir Gemayel. He rejected the 1989 Taif agreement
claiming it is an American-Syrian agreement that only enhanced sectarianism in Lebanon.
Wakim won the parliamentary elections in 1992 and in 1996. He boycotted the elections in 2000, opposing Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs. He is known for his very strict opposition of the whole Lebanese regime and sectarian leaders.
But in 1998 while in parliament, Wakim voted for the election of Pro-Syrian President
Émile Lahoud
. He maintains strong links to Lebanese pro-Syrian figures such as former Ba'ath Party MP Assem Qanso
.
In 1999, he founded "The People's Movement", a leftist group that calls for changes in the Lebanese political system and for better relationships between Arab countries. In 2001, his office was burned by arsonists who were not identified.
Najah Wakim was not involved in the pro-Syrian nor the anti-Syrian rallies in March 2005. However after the Syrian withdrawal, he attacked the March 14 Alliance
claiming that the Syrian interference has been replaced with an American invasion of Lebanon.
Even though the 2005 elections held the election law of 2000, and with an Arab political position, he fought the 2005 elections alone against the Hariri-LF-Hezbollah allied list and lost.
He also ran for the 2009 elections but lost against the sectarian allies in Beirut.
In the current Lebanese political scandal, Najah Wakim is a strict supporter to Hezbollah's arms and a great opposer to the government, who is currently considered as pro-American by many Lebanese parties.
Najah Wakim is the author of three books: Al 'Alam Al Thalith Wal Thawra (The Third World and Revolution), Al Ayadi Al Sud (The Black Hands) which is a foray into the political corruption in Lebanon in the days of the prime minister Rafiq Al Hariri. The other book contains his speeches and essays and is called Al Wahm Wal Amal (Illusion and Hope). All three books are in Arabic.
People's Movement (Lebanon)
The People's Movement is a Lebanese political party, founded in 2000 by former MP Najah Wakim and a group of intellectuals, journalists, radical leftist and Arab nationalist trade union movements....
. He is a secular lebanese lawyer who believes in secular Arabist ideology.
He managed to defeat Nasim Majdalani in 1972's Lebanese parliamentary elections for the Orthodox seat, and he was a supporter of Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
. He was not involved in any military work during the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
. However, several death threats were issued against him and several attempts were made on his life most notably on October 1, 1987. In 1982, he highly opposed the Israeli invasion of Beirut and voted against the Israeli-supported presidential candidate Bashir Gemayel. He rejected the 1989 Taif agreement
Taif Agreement
The Taif Agreement was an agreement reached to provide "the basis for the ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Lebanon." Negotiated in Taif, Saudi Arabia, it was designed to end the decades-long Lebanese civil war, politically accommodate the demographic...
claiming it is an American-Syrian agreement that only enhanced sectarianism in Lebanon.
Wakim won the parliamentary elections in 1992 and in 1996. He boycotted the elections in 2000, opposing Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs. He is known for his very strict opposition of the whole Lebanese regime and sectarian leaders.
But in 1998 while in parliament, Wakim voted for the election of Pro-Syrian President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Émile Lahoud
Émile Lahoud
General Émile Jamil Lahoud is a former President of Lebanon. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite_Catholic, the parliament speaker's post for a Shia...
. He maintains strong links to Lebanese pro-Syrian figures such as former Ba'ath Party MP Assem Qanso
Assem Qanso
Assem Qanso is a Lebanese politician. His religious affiliation is Shiite Islam. He is the leader of the Lebanese Baath Party.He joins the Lebanese Baath in 1953. During the Lebanese war, the Lebanese Baath was divided into two hostile groups: a pro-Iraqi group and a pro-Syrian group. Qanso is...
.
In 1999, he founded "The People's Movement", a leftist group that calls for changes in the Lebanese political system and for better relationships between Arab countries. In 2001, his office was burned by arsonists who were not identified.
Najah Wakim was not involved in the pro-Syrian nor the anti-Syrian rallies in March 2005. However after the Syrian withdrawal, he attacked the March 14 Alliance
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as...
claiming that the Syrian interference has been replaced with an American invasion of Lebanon.
Even though the 2005 elections held the election law of 2000, and with an Arab political position, he fought the 2005 elections alone against the Hariri-LF-Hezbollah allied list and lost.
He also ran for the 2009 elections but lost against the sectarian allies in Beirut.
In the current Lebanese political scandal, Najah Wakim is a strict supporter to Hezbollah's arms and a great opposer to the government, who is currently considered as pro-American by many Lebanese parties.
Najah Wakim is the author of three books: Al 'Alam Al Thalith Wal Thawra (The Third World and Revolution), Al Ayadi Al Sud (The Black Hands) which is a foray into the political corruption in Lebanon in the days of the prime minister Rafiq Al Hariri. The other book contains his speeches and essays and is called Al Wahm Wal Amal (Illusion and Hope). All three books are in Arabic.