Frangier, Suleiman (Jr.)

Natively belongs to the influential Maronite clan. Suleiman Frangier - the eldest, grandfather of Suleiman - the founder of the Marad movement, President of Lebanon in 1970 - 1976 . Tony Frangier , father of Suleiman, commanded the Marada armed groups. From childhood, Suleiman Jr. was destined for a political career and was brought up in the clan tradition of Frangier .

He received his primary education in Zgart , the center of Frangieux. He continued his studies at the Maronite colleges of Junia and Beirut .

From 1975 to 1990 , there was a civil war in Lebanon. "Marada" adjoined the right-wing camp, but occupied a separate position. In 1978, a tough conflict arose between the conservative Marada and the phalangist Kataib , overlapping with the long-standing rivalry between the Frangie and Gemayel families.

On June 13, 1978, militant phalangists led by Samir Jaajaa and Ilyas Hobeika committed the Eden massacre on the orders of Bashir Gemayel - Tony Frangier, his wife Vera, daughter Cihan and about thirty members of Marada were killed. Suleiman Jr. escaped death only because he was in Beirut at that time ^[1] .

The grandson who lost his parents was brought up by Suleiman Sr., the head of the clan and the founder of Marada. For security reasons, Suleiman Jr. was sent to Syria . He lived with Basil al - Assad , the eldest son of President Hafez al-Assad ^[2] .

In 1982, the 17-year-old Suleiman Frangier Jr. joined the Marada armed groups. In 1987, he became the political functionary of the movement, which was led by his grandfather Suleiman and uncle Robert . In accordance with the clan tradition, Suleiman Jr. was politically oriented towards Syria.

Minister of Prosirian Governments

In 1990, the civil war ended with the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Frangier and Marada became privileged partners of the occupation authorities ^[3] . In 1991, Suleiman Frangier Jr. became the youngest member of the Lebanese parliament (he was the youngest member). He was elected in 1992 , 1996 , 2000 and 2009 .

On July 23, 1992 , Suleiman Frangier Sr. passed away. The 26-year-old Suleiman Jr. officially led Marada, which had been transformed into a political party.

During the Syrian occupation of 1990 - 2005, Suleiman Frangier repeatedly held government posts. He was the Minister of Housing, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Health, the Minister of the Interior. As the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he oversaw the investigation of the murder of Rafik Hariri - which caused mixed assessments: the responsibility was assigned to the special services of Syria, to which Frangie was completely loyal ^[4] .

Frangier was an opponent of the 2005 Cedar Revolution , and advocated maintaining a Syrian presence in Lebanon.

Pro-Syrian coalition politician

In post-revolutionary Lebanon, Suleiman Frangier is the chairman of Marada, one of the leaders of the pro-Syrian Coalition on March 8 and the head of the family clan.

“After God - Suleiman-beck,” exclaimed an enthusiastic crowd of supporters when the younger Mr. Frangier arrived in a blue shirt to vote ^[5] .

Despite anti-Islamism and anti-communism , it acts in alliance with Hezbollah and the Lebanese Communist Party on a pro-Syrian platform ^[6] . In 2009, he also created the “Free and Unified Lebanon” coalition. For a long time he acted as a political ally of General Michel Aoun .

In 2015, Frangier’s candidacy, with the support of Damascus, was nominated for the presidency of Lebanon ^{[1] [7]} , but as a result of an unexpected political maneuver, Michel Aoun was elected president with the support of Samir Jaajaa ^[8]

Suleiman Frangier emphasizes adherence to the traditions of "Marada" and the legacy of his grandfather ^[9] . He maintains close political and personal ties with Bashar al-Assad , has repeatedly expressed support for the ruling regime of the SAR in the Syrian civil war ^[2] .

The relations of Suleiman Frangier with the parties Lebanese Forces (leader Samir Jaajaa) and Kataib (leader Sami Gemayel , nephew of Bashir Gemayel) remained hostile. Armed clashes between activists of "Marada" and "Lebanese forces" were noted in September 2008 , Suleiman Frangier blamed Samir Jaajaa for the bloodshed ^[10] . At the same time, Frangier is opposed to additional investigations into the murder of his parents, considering it "political fraud on their blood."

On November 14, 2018, Suleiman Frangier met with Samir Jaajaa. The mediator was the Maronite Patriarch Beshar Boutros Rai . A historic reconciliation was announced between the Marada movement and the Lebanese forces. ^[11]

Suleiman Frangier is married for the second time. From her first marriage to Marianne Sarkis has sons Tony and Basil; from his second marriage with Rima Carcafi ^[12] - daughter Vera. (The eldest son and daughter are named after the parents of Suleiman who died in the Eden massacre, the youngest son is named after Basil Assad, who died in a car accident).

Rome Carcafi-Frangie is known as a TV presenter and public figure ^[13] .

Tony Frangier Jr. is seen as a potential successor to the political tradition of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather ^[14] .