Former Leader Dory Chamoun Passes Away at 94, Marking the End of an Era in Lebanese Politics

On Monday, the former head of the National Liberal Party and former member of parliament, Dory Camille Chamoun, passed away at the age of 94. Chamoun belonged to one of Lebanon's prominent political families, being the son of the late Lebanese President Camille Chamoun and the brother of Danny Chamoun, who was assassinated alongside his wife and two children in 1990.
Born in Deir al-Qamar on November 8, 1931, Chamoun was educated at the International College, continued his secondary education in England, and later graduated from the Faculty of Law at Saint Joseph University in Beirut.
Chamoun worked in trade and industry before committing more fully to a political career. He participated actively in the National Liberal Party, founded by his father, President Camille Chamoun in 1958.

Chamoun served as the party’s Secretary-General from 1975 to 1984, and later assumed leadership of the party after his brother Danny's assassination. He officially chaired the party in 1991 and led it for nearly three decades until 2021.

During Syria's presence in Lebanon, Chamoun emerged as a significant figure in the opposition to Syrian influence. He was involved in the 'Qornet Shehwan Gathering,' established in 2001, which included various Christian figures opposing the Syrian presence. After the Syrian army's withdrawal in 2005, the National Liberal Party became part of the March 14 coalition.

In the 2009 parliamentary elections, Dory Chamoun was elected as a deputy for the Maronite seat in the Chouf district, holding the position until the end of the parliamentary term in May 2018.

On April 10, 2021, Dory Chamoun's tenure as the head of the National Liberal Party ended when his son, Camille Dory Chamoun, was elected party leader in internal elections held at the party's central house in Sodeco. This election passed the leadership to the third generation of the Chamoun family.

On a personal level, Dory Chamoun was married to Nayla Gabriel Tabet, who died in 2013, and his son, Camille Dory Chamoun, is the current head of the National Liberal Party.

With Dory Chamoun's passing, an era in Lebanese politics comes to a close. His career spanned critical periods in Lebanon's history, from the years of the civil war and its aftermath, through the phase of Syrian presence and withdrawal, to the period post-2005, bridging partisan, municipal, and parliamentary work in his journey.