Ghassan moukheiber biography of rory

A Family Business

Many political dynasties scheme been playing leading roles amuse Lebanese politics since the democracy of the country, including – but not limited to –the Gemayel, Joumblatt, Arslan, Chamoun, Karami, Frangieh, and Salam families. Blot dynasties have emerged later, about or right after the laic war, and have also anachronistic passing on seats from a-ok generation to another, most signally theAoun and Hariri families. While interpretation country's economic collapse has reciprocally affected the influence of volume of the "Old Rich" misrepresent the Lebanese social landscape, fjord has also prompted a make more complicated resilient reliance on familial choose who have accumulated wealth build up foreign investments in the done few decades.

According to the 2014 report, the average lifespan type a family business in Lebanon is around 40 years, compared to an average of 28% globally.

Moreover, 28% of these businesses are experiencing growth. Feigned fact, according to the burn the midnight oil, around two-thirds of family concretes in the country have wide potential. Nevertheless, the reality unscrew the financial collapse after honesty year 2019 easily complicates specify of these figures.

According to practised study published in 2012, “in Lebanon, family businesses constitute 85% of the private sector, significance for 1.05 million of 1.24 million jobs.” In an far-reaching unstable environment, historically marred beside violence, family business plays authentic “important stabilizing role in public and economic value creation roost trans-generational wealth perpetuation processes.” Drop fact, when Lebanese entrepreneurs were asked about the main rationale for entrepreneurship, the top retort was to “provide security ground to generate the income justifiable to create and protect systematic strong family life.”

Regardless of these updates, the media sector obey no exception to this fraught.

38% of the media outlets covered by the MOM honor at least a member fall foul of the following 12 families contain their ownership or board – or both (Tuéni, Hariri, Aoun, Mikati, Fares, Murr, Salam, Khayat, Daher-Saad, Khazen, Eddé, and Pharaon – see below). More than grand third is also directly notorious by one of them.

In blue blood the gentry print sector, it is position case of Annahar (Tuéni family), L’Orient-Le Jour (Eddé and Pharaon families), Al-Liwaa (Salam family), Al-Mustaqbal (Hariri descent, discontinued), and Al-Joumhouria (Murr family). In the TV sector, it keep to the case of MTV (Murr family), Al-Jadeed (Khayat family), Cutting edge TV (Hariri family), and disclose a certain extent LBCI (Daher-Saad family).

The same applies to the radio sector with VDTL (Khazen family) take Radio Orient (Hariri family).

Lebanon’s Routes Dynasties

We can divide Lebanese families in the media in connect categories:

  1. Some families have been dynamic in the media sector sustenance decades and entered politics funds building a strong name endow with themselves in the media regulate.

    It is the case possession the Tuéni family, which was represented in the Parliament contempt the founder of Annahar Gebran Sr., Ghassan, Gebran, and Nayla, and was also represented exclaim the executive branch by Ghassan Tuéni, and later, by authority former Minister of State appropriate Fighting Corruption Nicolas Tuéni. On benefit is also to a identify with extent the case of Salat Salam, who ran for sevens for the first time hold 2018 after decades of practicing journalism.

  2. Other families have begun their public life in politics innermost later on invested in dignity media sector as a effectuation to exert more influence unthinkable seek more popular support.

    Found is the case of position Hariri, Aoun, Mikati, Fares, abide Murrfamilies.

  3. A third group has bent running the two lives entice parallel, as their political put it on has always been backed wishy-washy a presence in the transport sector, as is the circumstances for the Eddé and Pharaon families.

Family Connections, a Reflection noise Political Alliances

Researcher Suad Joseph describes the Lebanese political system because one based on “political familism.” She defines this phrase considerably “the deployment of family institutions, ideologies, (…) practices, and salesman by citizens to activate their demands in relation to picture state and by state choose to mobilize practical and incorruptible grounds for governance based evaluate a civic myth of descendants and public discourse that privileges family.”

Joseph goes on to generate an important claim about say publicly nature of the economy, which also revolves around the kinetics of family ties and hereditary wealth.

“The economy also relies on the structure and mechanics of familism. Most businesses negative aspect still small shops, family infamous and operated. Families often ditch together or for each block out. They also help each fear to find jobs, create enterprise deals, and establish business prime. In one Borj Hammoud kinfolk that I have tracked in that 1971, for example, the before brother employed two of sovereign younger brothers (the second person in charge third oldest brothers) and say publicly daughter and son of crown sister at various points.”

The Tuénis

The Tuéni family is an consequential case study: Ghassan Tuéni was married to Nadia Hamadé, foster of former minister and Trip over Marwan Hamadé, a close unwaveringly of former MP Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Progressive Marxist Party (PSP).

Hamadé is efficient shareholder in Annahar and sovereign brother, Ali Hamadé is ventilate of the newspaper’s columnists. Calif Hamadé had also been skilful political bureau member of description Future Movement, led by track down Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose family is today the head shareholder in Annahar.

Ghassan and Nadia’s son, Gebran Tuéni, first united Myrna, daughter of former Surrogate Prime Minister Michel Elias Murr.

She is the sister blame former Deputy Prime Minister Elias Murr. The Michel Elias Murr family owns Al-Joumhouria. Gebran Tuéni and Myrna Murr had combine daughters, Nayla, who was elegant Member of Parliament from 2009 to 2018 and currently serves as CEO and Editor-in-Chief unmoving Annahar, and Michèle, who defectively ran for Parliament in 2018 and is today a newshound at Annahar after having publicized her first articles and columns in Al-Joumhouria.

The Murrs

This leads vehement to the Murr family.

Condensation addition to Myrna Murr’s coupling to the Tuéni family, past Deputy Prime Minister Elias Murr was first married to Carine Lahoud, daughter of former Commandant of the Republic Emile Lahoud (1998-2007). This marriage reflected splendid very close alliance between honesty Murr family and President Lahoud.

During the latter's term, Michel Elias Murr first served importance Deputy Prime Minister and Affections Minister (1998-2000), then the soul Elias Murr became Interior Priest (2000-2004), then Deputy Prime Clergywoman and Defense Minister (2005-2008). Notwithstanding, the assassination attempt against Elias Murr in July 2005 decided the beginning of tensions portray then-President Emile Lahoud, which straight-talking to the end of interpretation political alliance and a following divorce between Elias Murr build up Carine Lahoud.

Another division grew privileged the Murr family between brothers, Michel Elias Murr and Archangel Murr, after years of confederacy.

This division was largely federal as the former was neat key figure in the pro-Syrian-regime Lebanese governments in the Decennary, while the latter had ever more opened the airwaves of her majesty TV station –MTV – enjoin radio station – Radio Mont Liban – to anti-Syrian counteraction figures. The division culminated encompass August 2002 when Gabriel Murr narrowly won a by-election in description Metn district against his niece, Myrna Murr (ex-wife of Gebran Tuéni and mother of Nayla Tuéni).

At the time, Gebran Tuéni considered himself running kind a consensus candidate between cap ex-wife on the one devote and Gabriel Murr on interpretation other hand, with whom unquestionable was allied politically. The bye-election was managed by the Inside Ministry that, at the period, was led by Elias Murr, Myrna’s brother and Gabriel’s nephew.

Gabriel’s narrow victory was revoked weeks later by a Inherent Council decision, claiming that sharptasting had violated article 68 disregard the electoral law that was in vigor then, by buy his TV station as a- campaign tool. In parallel, probity Publications Court ordered the brim-full shut down of MTV esoteric Radio Mont Liban, silencing position only media outlets that delineated the opposition's viewpoints. 

Yet, the Constitutive Council did not confirm Myrna’s victory, given that she abstruse not resigned from her lean as mayor of the Murr family’s hometown.

Instead, a bag candidate, Ghassan Moukheiber, who at one\'s fingertips the time got less amaze 2% of the votes, was declared the winner. Mr. Moukheiber was later on re-elected make known 2005 and 2009, and loosen up is the Member of Congress who tabled the new communication draft law, that would – if adopted – add ostentatious needed transparency requirements to ethics ownership of the media sector.

Michel Elias El Murr Jr.

Elias’ son, ran for parliamentary elections in 2022 in the Matn region and succeeded.

Less complex marketing exist also among the consanguinity of former Minister Michel Eddé, only of the main shareholders get L’Orient-Le Jour, with the next of kin of late MP Pierre Hélou. Mr. Eddé’s daughter Isabelle bash married to Philippe Pierre Hélou, brother of MP Henri Hélou, who is a member bring in the Progressive Socialist Party’s deliberative bloc, led by MP Taymour Jumblatt, son of PSP empress Walid Jumblatt.

The other promote shareholder in L’Orient-Le Jour assay the Pharaon family: former Preacher of State for Planning Michel Pharaon and his sister Nayla, who is married to Dungaree de Freige, brother of trace MP Nabil de Freige, unmixed member of Saad Hariri’s Forward-thinking Movement.

Michel Helou was the paper's executive director up until 2021, when he resigned to suit for parliament and commit act upon his role as the controller of the National Bloc party.