Walid Jumblatt Biography

Walid Jumblatt is a Lebanese politician, and is currently the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP). He belongs to the Druze clan, which is an offshoot of Shia Islam. Before joining politics, he worked as reporter of the An Nahar newspaper. However, he soon entered politics and became the leading face of Lebanon’s powerful Druze Clan. He formed a National Salvation Front backed by Syria in order to challenge president Amine Gemayel’s rule. This front was also established for challenging Lebanon and Israel’s pact that was financially backed by the US. He was part of Prime Minister Rashid Karami’s cabinet and was appointed as the minister of public works, of transport and of tourism. Over the course of his political career, he got intricately involved in the Syrian politics and developed close links with several political figures of the country. Jumblatt created a major controversy when he directly criticized Lebanese Shiite Party Hezbollah and the Syrian Government. Apart from politics, he is also interested in painting and photography