The Daily Star, Lebanon
Feb 16 2005

Sunnis call for Hariri’s son Bahaa to take on his political mantle

Observers consider him the best substitute for his father, as the
eldest son and a successful businessman

By Nada Raad
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

BEIRUT: One day after the assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri, Sunnis called for his son, Bahaaeddine, to replace him
in May’s parliamentary elections.

Crowds of Hariri’s Sunni supporters gathered at the site of the
assassination in front of the St George Hotel in downtown Beirut
shouting for Bahaa to fill the political vacuum left by his father’s
murder.

One of the crowd said: “We want Sheikh Bahaa to run for elections and
continue the path of his father. We want Syria to withdraw before the
parliamentary elections and the government, the Cabinet and
especially President Lahoud to resign.”

Commenting on the possibility of Bahaa heading up a list in this
year’s elections, Beirut MP Nabil de Freij, a member of Hariri’s
parliamentary bloc said: “Hariri’s family will have to decide on such
an issue, which won’t happen before the obituary ends.”

Lebanese political analyst Hilal Khasham added: “Bahaa could run for
the elections next may and become an MP, but it is very difficult for
him to fill his father’s shoes in the short-run.”

Despite Bahaa’s current focus on business, observers consider him the
best substitute for his father, as the eldest member of the family
and a successful businessman.

Khasham said: “Although Bahaa is currently distant from politics, the
sudden death of his father will force him to show interest in the
affairs of the state and continue his father’s path.”

He added: “Leadership in Lebanon is often inherited, it’s the reason
why the absence of any prominent political figure is always filled by
their children.”

But other observers said family fears for the safety of Bahaa if he
entered politics could well count for more than any political
pressure to follow his father and rule out a career in politics.

The aftermath of Hariri’s assassination has also raised questions
about whether the government will press ahead with this year’s
elections, which most observers believe the opposition is set to win.

But Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh insisted yesterday the
elections would “take place on schedule.”

The Sunni leader’s death also raises questions as to whether the
opposition will remain united after losing one of its most
charismatic figures.

Hariri was ready to provide financial and moral support to the
opposition, particularly in areas with a minority of Christian and
Druze voters, such as some northern areas and the Bekaa.

Also, Hariri was ready to enter the electoral battle in Beirut, where
the authorities had managed to tailor an electoral law proposal that
would decrease his representation in Parliament.

Hariri had extensively announced that he would run in Beirut’s second
electoral district, where the government planned to win nine seats,
as it placed the majority of voters from the Shiite and Armenian
communities, two sects that support the government.

His death also leaves his parliamentary bloc of around 15 MPs facing
an uphill battle in the election, although some observers feel the
bloc will be able to harness a protest vote following Monday’s tragic
events.

Meanwhile, leading opposition member Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt
reiterated his response to fears that Hariri’s death might quell
opposition criticism of Syria.

He said: “I accuse them directly. This regime, backed by the Syrians,
this regime of terrorists, terror, succeeded yesterday in eliminating
Rafik Hariri.”

Meanwhile in a massive demonstration in Sidon, where the majority of
residents are Sunnis, protesters shouted anti Syrian slogans.

Political heir?

The son of the late Rafik Hariri, Bahaaeddine Hariri, who is in his
late 30’s, has already followed his father’s footsteps in the world
of business, carving out a successful career outside of the family
fold, but still retaining a role in some of his father’s companies.

After graduating from Boston University in 1990, Bahaa moved to Saudi
Arabia and worked at Saudi Oger, his family’s construction and
development company.

Hariri left the firm to start his own business, but continues to
serve on Saudi Oger’s board and executive committee. Bahaa is also
chairman of Al-Abdali Project in Jordan, which along with state-owned
corporation Mawared and Saudi Oger, is working to rebuild the city
center of Amman.

He is also president and CEO of Exceed SA, another of his ventures
and the owner of Horizon, a company specializing in real estate and
development projects in Lebanon.

He has involvement in the banking sector, serving on the Board of the
Arab Bank and the Banque de la Mediterranee. Hariri chairs the board
of his father’s newspaper, Al-Mustaqbal, and is also the chairman of
two soccer clubs in Lebanon.