Bishara Merhej

Bishara Merhej
Bishara Merhej
Minister of State for Administrative Reform
	In office; 7 November 1996 – 4 December 1998
Prime Minister	Rafik Hariri
Minister of State
	In office; 2 September 1994 – 25 May 1995
Prime Minister	Rafik Hariri
Preceded by	Shahé Barsoumian
Minister of Interior
	In office; 31 October 1992 – 2 September 1994
Prime Minister	Rafik Hariri
Succeeded by	Michel Murr
Personal details
Born	Bishara Jamil Merhej; 1946 (age 77–78); Beirut, Lebanon
Political party	Al Baath Arab Socialist Party (until 1973)
Spouse	Wali Grote
Children	2
Alma mater	American University of Beirut

Bishara Merhej (born 1946) is a Lebanese journalist and politician who held various cabinet posts, including minister of interior. He also served at the Lebanese parliament in the 1990s.

Early life and education

Merhej was born in Beirut in 1946.^[1] He hails from a Greek Orthodox family.^[2] His parents were Jamil Merhej and Salma Matar Rahbani.^[3]

Merhej obtained a degree in economics from the American University of Beirut in 1967.^[1]^[3]

Career

Following his graduation Merhej first worked as a teacher.^[1] Then he began to work as a journalist^[1] and wrote articles for the economy section of Al Anwar.^[3] He is cofounder of the Active Arab Front and joined the Al Baath Arab Socialist Party where he served in different capacities until 1973.^[1] In 1975 he involved in the establishment of the Assembly of Popular Leagues and Association which supported a united Lebanon and Arab identity of the country.^[1]

Merhej was elected to the Parliament in the elections of 1992 and 1996 representing Beirut.^[1] At the parliament he was a member of the human rights committee.^[2] On 31 October 1992 he was appointed interior minister to the first cabinet of Rafik Hariri who selected him to the post.^[4] In a reshuffle Merhej was named state minister on 2 September 1994.^[2]^[4] Merhej was the minister of state for administrative reform in the third cabinet of Hariri between 7 November 1996 and 4 December 1998.^[1]

Personal life

Merhej is married to Wali Grote, a physician, with who he has two daughters.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Bechara Merhej". OMSAR. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Maurus Reinkowski; Sofia Saadeh (2006). "A Nation Divided. Lebanese Confessionalism". In Haldun Gülalp (ed.). Citizenship and Ethnic Conflict: Challenging the Nation-state. London; New York: Routledge. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-415-36897-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c Who's Who in Lebanon (19th ed.). Beirut: Publitec Publications. 2007. p. 238. doi:10.1515/9783110945904.218. ISBN 978-3-598-07734-0.
^ ^a ^b Ward Vloeberghs (2015). Architecture, Power and Religion in Lebanon. Rafiq Hariri and the politics of sacred space in Beirut. Vol. 114. Leiden; Boston: Brill. pp. 381–382. doi:10.1163/9789004307056_010. ISBN 9789004307056.

[omsar-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Bechara Merhej". OMSAR. Retrieved 13 July 2022.

[sofia-2] Maurus Reinkowski; Sofia Saadeh (2006). "A Nation Divided. Lebanese Confessionalism". In Haldun Gülalp (ed.). Citizenship and Ethnic Conflict: Challenging the Nation-state. London; New York: Routledge. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-415-36897-1.

[wwho-3] Who's Who in Lebanon (19th ed.). Beirut: Publitec Publications. 2007. p. 238. doi:10.1515/9783110945904.218. ISBN 978-3-598-07734-0.

[ward-4] Ward Vloeberghs (2015). Architecture, Power and Religion in Lebanon. Rafiq Hariri and the politics of sacred space in Beirut. Vol. 114. Leiden; Boston: Brill. pp. 381–382. doi:10.1163/9789004307056_010. ISBN 9789004307056.

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