Alwaght | News & Analysis Website

Alwaght_ Al-Marada Movement is a political party in Lebanon led by Al- Suleiman Tony Frangieh whose members are Maronites. This party whose headquarter is in Zgharta region was founded in 1986 by Suleiman Frangieh, the son of Tony Frangieh, the former president of Lebanon. At the beginning of the Lebanese civil war, it was known as the Zgharta Liberation Army (ZLA).
History: starting point and reference
Al-Marada originally was one of the indigenous groups that lived in a long region between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and even Iran. They form a blend of Canaanites, Amorites, Aramaics and various ethnic groups, and that is why they are called Maradas. They were called Maradas referring to ‘Marado’ whose name stands for ‘Mar’ i.e. ‘Lord’, and ‘Do’, i.e. ‘Power’, ‘The Lord of power’. Later, their name assumed other meanings such as ‘Mared’, the giant, or ‘the rebellion’, the revolution, etc.
Frangieh Family
It appears that the House of Frangieh is among the noble Christian political families in Lebanon who formed a political triangle with the House of Simon and House of Jamil. In 1970, Suleiman Frangieh was elected as the fifth Lebanese president and remained in office until civil war began in 1976.
After Suleiman Frangieh’s presidency came to an end, Tony Frangieh became the leader of the Movement. He was also elected as member of the Lebanese parliament in 1970. Suleiman Tony Frangieh was born in 1941 and was still in young age that the military branch of Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, motivated by disputes in Kata'ib clan of Lebanon, in 1978 assassinated Frangieh, his wife, his three-year-old daughter, and 30 other innocent people. However, his son, Suleiman survived the assassination as he had gone to Beirut to study in Al-atiniyh Jounieh School.  
Suleiman Tony Frangieh
Suleiman Tony Frangieh was the son of a noble Lebanese family whose great men had played a great role in the history of Lebanon. He began his political career in 1987, when he was 22. He selected Bnashaai village as his work place and gradually become famous in the area. He also established strong ties with the Syrian government, as the late President Hafez al-Assad and Suleiman Frangieh had good family and political relations with one another; the same relationship continued between Suleiman Junior, the late Basel al-Assad, and Bashar al-Assad.
In 1989, Frangieh received new orders from Taif, and accordingly the first arms aids were sent to al-Marada militias so that he can increase his political activities, as he had planned to run candidate for parliament and Lebanon's presidency.
In fact, he was a Christian Lebanese that tried to maintain the current balance in Lebanon, so that it is not influenced by any regional and geographical changes. Therefore, he strengthened his relationships with Arab countries and even twice made visits to Vatican, the Christian headquarter in Rome. As he believed in the regional coordination, he traveled to Iran on 22 April, 2007, and met with the supreme leader, the president and other Iranian officials.
With the cooperation of groups, and different political figures, ‘Al-Marada Movement’ was established in June 11, 2006, and tens of thousands of people have joined this movement. Its offices were opened in most regions of Lebanon, especially in Keserwan, Jbeil, Al-Metn, and Bekaa.
Intellectual and ideological principles of Al-Marada  
Al-Marada Movement is one of the few Christian movements that supports resistance against the Zionist regime, and it has close relations with the Owni Movement, an ally of Hezbollah, Amal Movement and the Lebanese Democratic Party led by Talal Arsalan and al-Tanzim al-Sha'abi, etc.
The main principles of this Movement are:
-    Lebanon, final homeland to all its citizens and having the national commitment of the society and the State to keep away from strives and crises aiming at turning spiritual families into conflicting sects and communities.
-    Lebanon, a sovereign, free and united country, rejecting all kinds of partitions and federations.
-    Rejection of all plans to permanently settle Palestinian refugees while insisting on their right to return to their homeland.
-    Al-Marada long for Lebanon to be a state that ensures freedom, as a global and unifying value.
Suleiman Frangieh has very strong relations with Hezbollah and Amal Movement, and they are recognized as a part of the Resistance Movement in Lebanon. This Movement in its political agenda believes in three important principles: the army, nation and Resistance.
President Frangieh!
Suleiman Frangieh resigned as Member of Parliament in favor of his son, and entered a new political space. Today, some Maronite figures believe he is one of those who put himself forward as the candidate for presidential election to be held in November 18.