Riad El Solh رياض الصلح |
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Prime Minister of Lebanon | |
In office 25 September 1943 – 10 January 1945 |
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President | Bishara Al Khouri |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Abdul Hamid Karami |
In office 14 December 1946 – 14 February 1951 |
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President | Bishara Al Khouri |
Preceded by | Saadi Al Munla |
Succeeded by | Hussein Al Oweini |
Personal details | |
Born | 1894 Sidon, Ottoman Empire |
Died | July 17, 1951 (aged 56-57) Amman, Jordan |
Political party |
Committee of Union and Progress (1916–1920) Independent (1920–1934) Constitutional Bloc (1934–1951) |
Spouse(s) | Fayza Al Jabiri |
Children | Five daughters: Leila Al Solh, 'Alia Alsulh, Bahija Alsulh, Lamia Alsulh, Muna Alsulh; One son |
Alma mater | Sorbonne University |
Profession | Lawyer |
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Riad Al Solh (1894 – 17 July 1951) (Arabic: رياض الصلح) was the first prime minister of Lebanon after the country's independence.
Riad Al Solh, also written Riad el Solh or Riad Solh, was born in Sidon in 1894. His family was a prominent Sunni land-owning family from south Lebanon, Sidon. His father was Reda Al Solh, a reformist sub-governor in Nabatiyyah and in Saida and a leading nationalist Arab leader. Reda Al Solh was tried by Ottoman forces in 1915 and went into exile in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire. He then served as an Ottoman governor in Salonica. He also served as Minister of the Interior in Emir Faisal’s government in Damascus.
Riad Al Solh studied law and political science at the University of Paris. He spent most of his youth in Istanbul, as his father was a deputy in the Ottoman Parliament.
Solh served as prime minister of Lebanon twice. His first term was just after the Lebanon's independence (25 September 1943 – 10 January 1945). Solh was chosen by president Bishara Al Khouri to be his first Prime Minister. Solh and Khouri achieved and implemented the National Pact (al Mithaq al Watani) in November 1943 that provided an official framework to accommodate the confessional differences in Lebanon. The National Pact was an unwritten gentleman's agreement. The Pact stated that president, prime minister and Speaker of the Parliament in Lebanon should be allocated to three major confessional groups based on the 1932 census, namely the Maronite Christians, the Sunni Muslims and the Shiite Muslims, respectively. During his first term, Solh also served as the minister of supplies and reserves from 3 July 1944 to 9 January 1945.