Wael Nader Al-Halqi ( ar, وائل نادر الحلقي, Wāʾil Nādir al-Ḥalqī; born 4 February 1964) is a Syrian politician who was
Prime Minister of Syria from 2012 to 2016. Previously he was Minister of Health from 2011 to 2012. He was appointed as Prime Minister on 9 August 2012.
Early life and education
Halqi was born in
Jasim
Jasim ( ar, جاسم, also spelled Jasem) is a small city in the Izra' District of the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria. It is located 41 kilometers north of Daraa and is near the towns of Nawa to the south, Kafr Shams to the north, Inkhil to ...
in the
Daraa Governorate
Daraa Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة درعا / ALA-LC: ') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the south-west of the country and covers an area of 3,730 km2. It is bordered by Jordan to the south, Qu ...
on 4 February 1964 into a
Sunni Muslim family.
He earned a degree in medicine (MD) from the
University of Damascus
The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...
in 1987 and a master's degree in
gynaecology and
obstetrics again from the University of Damascus in 1991.
[
]
Career
Halqi served as director of primary health care in Jasim from 1997 to 2000 and was secretary of the Daraa branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party from 2000 to 2004.Daraa
Daraa ( ar, دَرْعَا, Darʿā, Levantine Arabic: , also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera'a, Dera, Derʿā and Edrei; means "''fortress''", compare Dura-Europos) is a city in southwestern Syria, located about north of the border with Jord ...
, and in 2010, was appointed head of Syria's doctors.[ He was appointed as Prime Minister of Syria on 9 August 2012 by President ]Bashar Assad
Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the S ...
, after his predecessor Riyad Farid Hijab
Riyad Farid Hijab ( ar, رياض فريد حجاب, Riyāḍ Farīd Ḥijāb; born 1966) is a Syrian people, Syrian politician. He was Prime Minister of Syria from June to August 2012, serving under President of Syria, President Bashar al-Assad. ...
fled to Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
and declared his allegiance to the Syrian opposition.
Assassination attempt
In April 2013, Halqi survived an apparent assassination attempt by car bombing
A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles.
Car bombs can be roughly divided ...
in the Mezzeh
Mezzeh ( ar, ٱلْمَزَّة, al-Mazzah, also transcribed as al-Mazzah, el-Mezze, etc.) is a municipality in Damascus, Syria, due west of Kafr Sousa. It lies to the southwest of central Damascus, along the Mezzeh highway (also known as Fayez ...
district of Damascus. The assassination attempt killed six people.Six die but Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki survives bomb attack on convoy in Damascus
''The Independent''
Personal life
Dr al Halqi is married and has four children,[ one daughter and three sons.
]
See also
*Cabinet of Syria
The Cabinet of Syria (Arabic: مجلس وزراء سوريا, majlis wuzara' suria) or Council of Ministers is the chief executive body of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Cabinet in Constitution
According to the Constitution of Syria:
Appointment, ...