May Rihani announces her candidacy for president at a press conference in Beit Mery on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of her press office)
“We need a courageous male president... or a courageous female president,” Lebanese-American writer and development expert May Rihani said yesterday at a press conference, as she announced her candidacy for president.
A few weeks before the end of current President Michel Aoun’s term on Oct. 31, Rihani is the second woman, after Tracy Chamoun, to join the race for Baabda.
Who is May Rihani?
Originally from the village of Freikeh in Metn, just north of Beirut, Rihani was born in 1945. She is the daughter of Albert Rihani and the niece of Ameen Rihani, both prominent Lebanese-American literary figures. Ameen Rihani was particularly known for his close ties to Saudi Arabia, which he first visited in 1922 and which honored him in 2016.
Based in the United States for 45 years, May Rihani described herself in a promotional pamphlet as an expert in international development with decades of experience. She served as director for the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland from 2016 to 2020. From 2008 to 2010, she served as co-chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative. Rihani has nine published books and is the director of the World Lebanese Cultural Union, a DC-based organization representing the Lebanese diaspora. She has also worked with the René Moawad Foundation, a self-described “development” NGO headed by independent Zgharta MP Michel Moawad.
While Rihani said she has not yet initiated official meetings with the parliamentary figures who would end up electing her, she told L’Orient-Le Jour that she discussed her candidacy with Moawad, who is himself seen as a potential presidential contender.
“This does not mean that we are against each other. We have slightly different profiles and everything will depend on who can rally the elected officials behind them,” she said. Rihani added that she has also requested an appointment to meet with Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai. L’Orient-Le Jour has learned that Saudi diplomats in Beirut have mentioned Rihani as a candidate that Riyadh could support.
Main priorities
“Being a member of the diaspora does not mean that one is not affected by the situation in Lebanon,” Rihani said at a press conference in Beit Mery Wednesday, commenting on her decision to return to Lebanon and run for president. “On the contrary, both residents and expatriates are victims.”
The solution to Lebanon’s crisis is first and foremost political, Rihani said at Wednesday’s press conference. “Politicians in Lebanon have decided to consider the constitution as a point of view that one has the choice to adopt or not. The truth is that the fundamental law must be respected to the letter. If I am elected president, the constitution will be my reference point.” She added that she wants to set up teams of experts to discuss her top-priority issues.
What are those top priorities? Speaking with L’Orient-Le Jour, she referred first to the issue of Hezbollah: “The constitution is clear. Only the Lebanese Army can bear arms. It is therefore undeniable that Hezbollah’s arsenal represents an unconstitutional phenomenon that must be addressed.” She added that she would initiate a dialogue with Hezbollah for the group to hand over its weapons and for some fighters to integrate into the Lebanese Army. Rihani also said she would aim to improve relations between Lebanon and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia. “Lebanon needs to be integrated into the modern, globalized Arabism we are witnessing,” she said.
Rihani acknowledged that, if elected, she would be Lebanon’s first female president, a distinction that would shed light on gender rights. “If I reach the Baabda Palace, I will ensure that the constitution, which underscores gender equality, is respected. Thus, the first measure I would push for is the right of women to pass on nationality to their children,” she said.
Rihani added she would fight for the rights of depositors who have had their savings frozen in banks due to the financial crisis. “My goal is the recovery of 80 percent of the deposits,” she told L’Orient-Le Jour, without elaborating on how she would do so.
She also spoke of her desire to “restructure the banking sector in accordance with international standards,” including accelerating negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a multi-billion dollar financial assistance package. “This is an important first step, which can restore the confidence of international donors,” she said.
Finally, Rihani wants “the truth to be revealed as soon as possible” around the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion, which destroyed entire neighborhoods of the capital and killed more than 230 people.
“It is unacceptable that after two years the families of the victims still do not know who killed their children,” she said. Rihani added she would begin reconstruction of the destroyed por in order to “put Beirut back on the world map as soon as possible.”
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Joelle El Khoury.
