Samir Frangieh

Samir Frangieh (4 December 1945 – 11 April 2017) was a Lebanese politician, member of the Lebanese Parliament and a leftist intellectual. He was from the Frangieh family, one of the well-known political families of Lebanon.

Early life Frangieh was born in Zgharta on 4 December 1945. He was the son of Hamid Kabalan Frangieh and Lamia Michel (née Raffoul). Hamid Frangieh was a lawyer and a businessman. He was the elder brother of Suleiman Frangieh who was the President of Lebanon in the period 1970-1976.

Career, activities and views Frangieh was a leading journalist. He contributed to many leading publications, including L'Orient (1970), L'Orient-Le Jour (1971–1975), Le Monde diplomatique, Libération, An Nahar, As Safir and Financial Times.

Frangieh joined the Lebanese Communist Party and left it in 1967. Frangieh was a political ally of Jumblatt.

Frangieh was also one of the founders of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering. He supported the implementation of the Taif accords and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. In addition, he was part of the 14 March Alliance and a member of its general secretariat. He was the author of "Beirut manifesto" that was published in Le Monde on 22 June 2004.

In the 2005 general elections, Frangieh became a member of the Lebanese Parliament, representing Zgharta. However, in the general elections of 2009, Frangieh was not included in the election list of the March 14 alliance.

Frangieh was elected president of the March 14 national council in June 2015 against Fawzi Ferri.

Personal life and death Frangieh was married to Anne Mourani with whom he had two children. He was the author of The Journey to the Extreme of Violence that was published in 2011.