Samir Rifai
Encyclopedia
Samir Zaid al-Rifai (born July 1, 1966) is a Jordanian politician of Palestinian descent, who was Prime Minister of Jordan
from 14 December 2009 to 1 February 2011. He was replaced by Marouf al-Bakhit
by the king Abdullah II
, following weeks of protests
in the country. He is the son of former Prime Minister Zaid al-Rifai
and grandson of Samir al-Rifai
.
family hailing from Safed
in Northern Palestine (now in Israel). He took admission in Harvard University
in 1984 and received his bachelor's degree in Middle East Studies in 1988, Samir Rifai began his career working in the Royal Court in 1988, He obtained his master's degree in International Relations from Cambridge University
in 1989. In 1999 he was appointed Secretary General of the Royal Hashemite Court where he oversaw the implementation of an integrated program for restructuring the administrative and financial affairs office, also took over the Information Office and the Public Relations Department of King Abdullah II. In 2003, he was appointed Minister of the Hashemite Royal Court to represent the fundamental link between the King and the Government.
In April of 2005, Rifai was appointed adviser to the King, and continued in that position until the end of 2005.
Rifai served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Dubai Properties Public Shareholding Co., Ltd., the investment arm of Jordan Dubai Capital, specializing in real estate development and tourism investment in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Rifai also took the membership of the Board of Directors of The Housing Bank for Trade and Finance, Saraya Aqaba and the company 'Amlak Finance - Jordan' to finance the mortgage.
Rifai is also a member of a number of councils in academic institutions, most notably the Board of Directors 'King's Academy' and the Academy of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh.
During the years of his career, Rifai held several positions in official and government councils including Chairman of the Investment Promotion Committee at the Royal Court, and Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Amman Message, and a member of a committee to pursue interfaith dialogue, And member of the Higher Steering Committee for the peace process, and the Vice-Chairman of the Jordanian Royal Automobile Museum, and board member of King Abdullah II Award for Excellence Performance and Transparency in the public sector.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
from 14 December 2009 to 1 February 2011. He was replaced by Marouf al-Bakhit
Marouf al-Bakhit
Dr. Marouf Suleiman al-Bakhit is a Jordanian politician and two-time Prime Minister. He first served as Prime Minister from 27 November 2005 until 25 November 2007 and then again from 9 February 2011 to 17 October 2011. Bakhit also held the position of Jordanian ambassador to Israel and the...
by the king Abdullah II
Abdullah II of Jordan
Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein is the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. King Abdullah, whose mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein, is a member of the Hashemite family...
, following weeks of protests
2011 Jordanian protests
The 2011 Jordanian protests are a series of protests occurring in Jordan in 2011, which resulted in the firing of the cabinet ministers of the government.Food inflation and salaries were a cause for resentment in the country....
in the country. He is the son of former Prime Minister Zaid al-Rifai
Zaid al-Rifai
Zaid al-Rifai in the city of Safed in Palestine is a former Prime Minister of Jordan.-Biography:He served as Prime Minister of Jordan twice and . His father, Sameer al-Rifai was also an important politician in Jordan and former prime minister...
and grandson of Samir al-Rifai
Samir al-Rifai
Samir al-Rifai was a six-time Prime Minister of Jordan.Al-Rifai served under Kings Abdullah I, Talal and Hussein:*Prime Minister of the Emirate of Transjordan from 15 October 1944 to 19 May 1945...
.
Early life
Rifai was born in to a prominent PalestinianPalestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
family hailing from Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
in Northern Palestine (now in Israel). He took admission in Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1984 and received his bachelor's degree in Middle East Studies in 1988, Samir Rifai began his career working in the Royal Court in 1988, He obtained his master's degree in International Relations from Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1989. In 1999 he was appointed Secretary General of the Royal Hashemite Court where he oversaw the implementation of an integrated program for restructuring the administrative and financial affairs office, also took over the Information Office and the Public Relations Department of King Abdullah II. In 2003, he was appointed Minister of the Hashemite Royal Court to represent the fundamental link between the King and the Government.
In April of 2005, Rifai was appointed adviser to the King, and continued in that position until the end of 2005.
Career
Before assuming the position of Prime Minister, Samir Rifai worked since October 2005 as Chief Executive Officer CEO and founder of Jordan Dubai Capital, which began its work with registered capital of 300 million dinars. The company has grown and developed under the leadership of Al Rifai with assets exceeding 1.5 billion dinars . In the same period, Rifai held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Dubai Energy Investments and Infrastructure - the investment arm of Jordan Dubai Capital in the energy field, in addition to having founded Kingdom Electricity for Energy Investments (KEC), an addendum to the Arab Company for Energy (ENARA) The Central Electricity Generating Company (CEGCO). Rifai also chaired the Board of Directors of Jordan Dubai Capital, the investment arm of Jordan Dubai Capital, in the field of financial investments, and also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors 'Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank', which provides services and solutions compatible with the provisions of Islamic banking..Rifai served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Dubai Properties Public Shareholding Co., Ltd., the investment arm of Jordan Dubai Capital, specializing in real estate development and tourism investment in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Rifai also took the membership of the Board of Directors of The Housing Bank for Trade and Finance, Saraya Aqaba and the company 'Amlak Finance - Jordan' to finance the mortgage.
Rifai is also a member of a number of councils in academic institutions, most notably the Board of Directors 'King's Academy' and the Academy of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh.
During the years of his career, Rifai held several positions in official and government councils including Chairman of the Investment Promotion Committee at the Royal Court, and Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Amman Message, and a member of a committee to pursue interfaith dialogue, And member of the Higher Steering Committee for the peace process, and the Vice-Chairman of the Jordanian Royal Automobile Museum, and board member of King Abdullah II Award for Excellence Performance and Transparency in the public sector.