Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

Talal Arslan () is a Lebanese politician and political chief of the

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

sect. He is the chief of the Arslan family, who claim to be descendants of the

Lakhmids The Lakhmid kingdom ( ), also referred to as al-Manādhirah () or as Banū Lakhm (), was an Arab kingdom that was founded and ruled by the Lakhmid dynasty from to 602. Spanning Eastern Arabia and Sawad, Southern Mesopotamia, it existed as a d ...

Early life

Arslan was born in Choueifat to the late

leader Emir

Majid Arslan Emir Majid Toufic Arslan (; February 1908 — September 18, 1983) was a Lebanese Druze leader and head of the Arslan feudal Druze ruling family. Arslan was the leader of the Yazbaki (Arslan affiliations) faction. Majid Arslan was a national poli ...

. He studied at Charley Saad school in Choueifat, now known as SABIS International School. He then moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to continue his studies at St. Augustine School because of the war in Lebanon. Before taking over his duties, his mother, ''Emirah'' Khawlah Majid Arslan, was the family chief. During her reign his brother, Emir

Faysal Arslan Emir Faysal Arslan (Arabic فيصل أرسلان; October 1941 – 20 December 2009, in Aley, Lebanon). He was the chief of the Arslan family, descendants of the Lakhmids after the death of his father Emir Majid Arslan in 1983. He continued with th ...

, was also involved in politics. Arslan has a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

political sciences Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

.Arslan Talal, Minister of The Displaced, Baabda-Aley MP
Lebanonwire.

Family and personal life

Arslan met his wife Zeina Kheireddin, now known as Emira Zeina Talal Arslan, in London. They got married on 17 July 1993 and bore two children: Emir Majid and Emirah Kinda. Arslan resides in "Khaldeh Palace", or "Dar Khaldeh", located in

Khalde Khaldah () is a coastal town located south of Beirut, Lebanon. It is famous as a tourist destination in the summer, especially for its various beach resorts. The southern portion of Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport is located in Khald ...

, Choueifat, Lebanon. The palace has been the residence of the chief of the Arslan family since the beginning of the 20th century. It is the official residence of other members of the family such as Emira Khawla Majid and Emira Zeina Majid. Before that, the official residence of the head of the dynasty was in the "Serail of the Arslan family" in Choueifat () that was built in the 17th century and is still used today by family members for private retreats.

Political career

Arslan was elected to the

Lebanese Parliament The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

as a deputy of the

Aley District Aley () is a district (''qadaa'') in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon, to the south-east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The capital is Aley. Aley city was previously known as the "bride of the summers" during the 1960 and 1970s, when Aley and neighbor ...

in 1991, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2009 and 2018, losing his seat between 2005 and 2009. From 1990 to 1992 he was the Lebanese Minister of Tourism, from 1996 to 1998 he was Minister of Emigrants and served as Minister of State twice from 2000 to 2003 and from 2003 to 2004. Emir Talal founded the

Lebanese Democratic Party The Lebanese Democratic Party () is a political party in Lebanon established by Prince Talal Arslan and Marwan Abou Fadel in 2001. Prince Talal is the son of Lebanese Druze leader Emir Magid Arslan and has presided over the party ever sinc ...

along with Marwan Bey Abou Fadel in 2001. He is also affectionately called "al-damaneh" () meaning "The Guarantee", by his followers.

Cabinet positions

Minister of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) *Ministry of Touri ...

: 24 December 1990 - 16 May 1992. *Minister of Emigrants: 7 November 1996 - 4 December 1998. *

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

: 26 October 2000 - 26 October 2004. *Minister of The Displaced: 26 October 2004 - 19 April 2005. * Minister of Sports and Youth: 11 July 2008 - 9 November 2009. *

: 13 June 2011 - 14 June 2011.

2011 Cabinet resignation

Arslan resigned after not providing the

in general, and his party (

) in particular, a "key ministerial portfolio". He stated "I cannot participate in a Cabinet in which Mikati says that the Druze do not have a right to be assigned a key ministerial portfolio...Mikati is conspiring against coexistence in the country." He further accused Mikati of trying to ignite a conflict within March 8 by lying to the public and attempting to embarrass Hezbollah by stalling the formation of a new government. Security officials said that his supporters in his stronghold of

blocked the highway leading to the village and fired gunshot rounds in the air to protest Mikati cabinet. Moreover they blocked the international highway leading to

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

in Mount Lebanon as well as main roads in the

Chouf District Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf; ) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate ( muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east of Beirut, the region comprises a narrow coastal stri ...

and in South Lebanon; in

Hasbaya Hasbaya or Hasbeiya () is a municipality in Lebanon, situated at the foot of Mount Hermon, overlooking a deep amphitheatre from which a brook flows to the Hasbani River. In 1911, the population was about 5,000. The town was a traditional seat of ...

Post resignation

The resignation of Arslan had a negative effect on the

March 8 Alliance The March 8 Alliance () is a loose coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their pro- Ba'athist Syria stance and their opposition to the former March 14 Alliance. It was the ruling coalition ...

that was criticised for letting down Arslan whose party was a major ally in it. Therefore many key people in the alliance—such as the speaker of parliament

Nabih Berri Nabih Mustafa Berri ( ; born 28 January 1938) is a Lebanese politician who has been serving as Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon since 1992. He heads the Amal Movement and its parliamentary wing, Development and Liberation Bloc. Early lif ...

—contacted Arslan trying to find a suitable solution for the representation of the LDP in general and Arslan in particular in the newly formed government. After weeks of discussions the resolution allowed Arslan to name a minister to take his place as

so that the government will be complete (with 30 ministers) and the political hole would be recovered. Thus, Marwan Kheireddine became the representative of the Lebanese Democratic Party in the Government of Lebanon .

References

External links

*
Talal Arslan

Arslan’s resignation from Cabinet ‘final’: party official
''The Daily Star'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Arslan, Talal 1965 births Living people People from Aley District Talal Lebanese Druze people Lebanese princes Lebanese Democratic Party politicians Tourism ministers of Lebanon Youth and sports ministers of Lebanon George Washington University alumni American University of Beirut alumni Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni Displaced ministers of Lebanon Ministers without portfolio of Lebanon