19 May 2015

BEIRUT: Key dates in Amine Gemayels political career. 1960: Amine Gemayel was born on Jan. 22, 1942, in the Metn town of Bikfaya. In 1960 he joined the ranks of the Kataeb Party, which was founded by his father Pierre Gemayel.

1970: Amine Gemayel was elected to the Parliament in a by-election in December 1970 to represent the district of Metn. He took over the seat of his deceased uncle Maurice Gemayel. He was re-elected in 1972 and served on the parliamentary committee for Foreign Affairs and was also a member of the Parliaments Secretariat.

1982: Following the assassination of his younger brother Bashir, Amine who was seen as more flexible and considered capable of bringing together right-wing Christians and their Muslim opponents was elected president of the Lebanese Republic on Sept. 21, 1982. The election was nearly unanimous with 77 of the 80 present lawmakers voting for him. As per the Lebanese Constitution, his term in office ended six years later in September 1988. The Gemayal brothers were both prominent Christian militia leaders during the Civil War.

1983: Amine Gemayel played a key role in the signing of the highly controversial U.S.-backed May 17 Agreement of 1983, which was a failed attempt to establish peace between Lebanon and Israel during the Civil War, after the latter invaded the former and besieged Beirut in 1982. He argued that he was in favor of the agreement because it guaranteed the liberation of Lebanon from Israeli occupation.

The agreement met strong opposition from pro-Syrian factions namely the National Salvation Front, which included former President Sleiman Frangieh, former Prime Minister Rashid Karami, the Amal Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party and in the Arab world in general, where the issue of peace with Israel was frowned upon. Also, Syria was unwavering in its stance against the agreement, and by refusing to withdraw its troops from Lebanon Damascus eventually thwarted its implementation, since Israeli withdrawal was contingent on Syria doing the same. As a result, the Lebanese government retracted the agreement on March 5, 1984, and it was abolished by Parliament in 1987.

1988: Fifteen minutes before the expiry of his term in 1988, and after Christian parties failed to agree on a name for the presidency, Gemayel appointed then-Army commander Michel Aoun to the post of prime minister to head a military transitional government tasked with holding presidential elections. By going against the tradition of reserving the premiership for a Sunni, Gemayel drew the ire of Muslim politicians and warlords who refused to accept the Aoun government, instead recognizing the rival government of Salim al-Hoss, whom Gemayel had dismissed in favor of Aoun.

1990-2000: From 1990 to 2000, in light of what he says were threats against him for opposing the 1989 Taif Accord, he left for Paris as an exiled leader of the opposition against Syrian presence, and lectured extensively on Lebanon and the Middle East across the world. In July 2000, Gemayel returned to Beirut and was welcomed by large crowds that filled the streets of his hometown of Bikfaya. Upon his return, Gemayel joined the anti-Syrian Kornet Shahwan Meeting, and later on the March 14 coalition in aftermath of the 2005 Valentines Day assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. On March 14, 1989, Aoun waged a military campaign against Syrian presence in Lebanon which lasted for several months.

2006: Gemayels son Pierre Gemayel, the industry minister in the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, was shot dead in a brazen daylight attack in the northern Beirut suburb of Jdeideh. Pierre was martyred for the cause. He died for Lebanon, for freedom, and for humanity, Amine Gemayel said following the killing of his son. Those who love him will not desecrate his memory with acts ... We want the Lebanese cause to triumph. I wish upon all those who loved Pierre to safeguard the cause.

2014: Gemayel, who is a perennial presidential contender, said in April 2014 that he was a natural candidate for the presidential election although he noted that until further notice, his party still backed Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea in his presidential bid.

2015: Gemayel announced Monday he would not be seeking re-election as Kataeb Party chief during a June 15 party conference to choose new leaders. Gemayel, who has been president of the Kataeb since 2007, said that the decision to step down was inspired by a need to effect change in the party in light of the turbulent times facing the country.

Copyright The Daily Star 2015.