Hassan Diab

Hassan Diab (Arabic: حسان دياب‎ Ḥassān Dyāb; born on June 1, 1959) is a Lebanese politician, engineer and academic who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Lebanon since 21 January 2020. He submitted his resignation on 10 August 2020 in wake of the 2020 Beirut explosion and has since served as Caretaker Prime Minister until a successor forms a new government. He was appointed by Lebanese President Michel Aoun on 19 December 2019 to succeed Saad Hariri, amidst the 2019–20 Lebanese protests that had caused Hariri's resignation.[1][2] Prior to his premiership, he served as the Minister of Education from June 2011 to February 2014 under President Michel Suleiman.

Hassan Diab
حسان دياب
Diab in January 2020
Prime Minister of Lebanon
Assumed office
21 January 2020
PresidentMichel Aoun
DeputyZeina Akar
Preceded bySaad Hariri
Minister of Education and Higher Education
In office
13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014
PresidentMichel Suleiman
Prime MinisterNajib Mikati
Preceded byHasan Mneimneh
Succeeded byElias Abou Saab
Personal details
BornBeirut, Lebanon
Spouse(s)Nuwar Mawlawi
Children3
Alma materLeeds Metropolitan University
(BSc)
University of Surrey
(MSc)
University of Bath
(PhD)
Websitehassandiab.com

Early life and education

Diab was born in Beirut on June 1, 1959.[3] He has a bachelor of science degree in communications engineering, which he received from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1981.[4][5] Then he obtained a master's degree in systems engineering from the University of Surrey in 1982,[4] and a PhD in computer engineering from the University of Bath in 1985.[5]

Academic career

Diab was a career academic, joining the American University of Beirut (AUB) as an electrical engineering professor in 1985.[3] He has published over 150 articles and papers in scientific journals and scientific conferences.[3] He called himself an advocate for educational reform in Lebanon and authored books on the topic.[6] He also served as vice president for regional external programs at the AUB from October 2006 to June 2011.[7]

On 13 June 2011, Diab was appointed minister of education and higher education as part of Najib Mikati's cabinet, replacing Hasan Mneimneh. He was succeeded by Elias Abu Saab as education minister. Diab's term ended on 15 February 2014.[8]

Political career
See also: Lebanese government of January 2020

Diab was designated as the next Prime Minister of Lebanon succeeding Saad Hariri on 19 December 2019, amidst the 2019–20 Lebanese protests that had caused Hariri's resignation. Diab's candidacy won the support of 69 members out of 128 of the Lebanese parliament; his support came from parties that co-form the March 8 Alliance,[9] namely the Hezbollah-allied parliamentary blocs, but did not receive the backing of parties from his own Sunni community.[6]

Diab is an independent, not vocally supporting any political group, and had a low public profile at the time of his appointment.[6]

Lebanon's new government was formed on 21 January 2020 after Diab and Speaker Nabih Berri met with President Michel Aoun.[10][11] Diab then announced the new twenty-member cabinet made up of technocrats saying they would work on new election law, seeking an independent judiciary and the return of looted public funds.[10] During the first session of the new cabinet, Diab announced that his first official visits would be to countries "in the Arab region, especially the Gulf".[12] He said nothing about abiding by the reforms promised by Hariri and chose to maintain the Ministry of Information, which Hariri had promised to abolish.[13] On 3 February, Diab signed the 2020 state budget, reducing spending by $700 million[14][15] and on 6 February the cabinet approved a financial rescue plan to present to the parliament.[16]

On 7 March 2020, Diab announced Lebanon would default on a sovereign debt for the first time in its history.[17]

On 10 August 2020, Diab resigned in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion due to mounting political pressure and anger at the Lebanese government for their failure to prevent the disaster, exacerbated by existing political tensions and upheavals within the country.[18] He requested President Aoun to call for early parliamentary elections. He will continue to remain in office until a new government is formed.

Personal life
Diab in Parliament

Diab is married to Nuwar Mawlawi and has three children.[6] He is a Sunni Muslim.[19]

Selected publications
  • Diab, H. B.; Demashkieh, I. (1991). "A computer-aided teaching package for microprocessor systems education". IEEE Transactions on Education. 34 (2): 179–183. Bibcode:1991ITEdu..34..179D. doi:10.1109/13.81598.
  • Saade, J. J.; Diab, H. B. (2000). "Defuzzification techniques for fuzzy controllers". IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part B (Cybernetics). IEEE. 30 (1): 223–229. doi:10.1109/3477.826965. PMID 18244747.
  • Damaj, Issam; Diab, Hassan (2003). "Performance analysis of linear algebraic functions using reconfigurable computing". The Journal of Supercomputing. 24 (1): 91–107. arXiv:1904.08233. doi:10.1023/A:1020993510939. S2CID 29082745.
  • Diab, Hassan (2003). "Standardization Related to Arabic Language Use in ICT". United Nations. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Diab, Hassan B.; Zomaya, Albert Y. (2005). Dependable Computing Systems: Paradigms, Performance Issues, and Applications (PDF). Wiley. S2CID 53833099.
  • Ghaith, Ghazi; Diab, Hassan (2008). "Determinants of EFL achievement among Arab college-bound learners". Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues. 1 (4): 278–286. doi:10.1108/17537980810929993.
  • Awada, Ghada; Diab, Hassan (2016). "Lebanon's 2011 ICT education reform strategy and action plan: Curriculum success or abeyance". Cogent Education. 3 (1). doi:10.1080/2331186x.2016.1245086.
  • Awada, Ghada; Diab, Hassan B. (2018). "The Effect of Google Earth and Wiki Models on Oral Presentation Skills of University EFL Learners". International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 30 (1): 36–46.

References
  1. "University professor nominated to be Lebanese PM". 19 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  2. "Diab nominated as PM with 69 votes". Daily Star. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  3. Raya Shartouni (20 December 2019). "Profile - Hassan Diab Lebanon's new premier". Anadlou Agency. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  4. "Biography". Official Website. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  5. "Our People". American University of Beirut. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  6. "Who is Hassan Diab, Lebanon's next prime minister?". The National. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  7. Mroueh, Wassim (22 June 2011). "New education minister eschews political spats". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  8. "Fresh hopes for Lebanon cabinet formation". Al Arabiya. 15 February 2014. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  9. "Lebanon, Mired in Crises, Turns to a Professor as Prime Minister". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  10. Mahmut Geldi (22 January 2020). "Lebanon forms new government led by Hassan Diab". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  11. "Lebanon unveils new government led by PM Hassan Diab". Daily Sabah. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  12. Hussein Yassine (30 January 2020). "Hassan Diab's First Official Trip Will Be to the Arab Countries". The961. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  13. Sami Moubayed (28 January 2020). "All eyes on PM Hassan Diab and Lebanon's deadlock". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  14. "Prime Minister Hassan Diab signs 2020 state budget, referring it to presidency". The Daily Star. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  15. "Lebanon PM signs 2020 state budget with $700m spending cuts". Middle East Monitor. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  16. "Lebanon cabinet approves financial rescue plan". Reuters. 6 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  17. "For the first time, Lebanon defaults on its debts". The Economist. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  18. "Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab to submit resignation following Beirut blast". The National. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  19. "Roadblocks across Lebanon as anger rises over Diab pick as PM". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
Political offices
Preceded by
Saad Hariri		 Prime Minister of Lebanon
2020–present		 Incumbent
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