(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Former Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami died on Thursday morning at the age of 80, after battling a long illness at the American University of Beirut Medical Center.
Karami was born March 17, 1935 in Tripoli, North Lebanon, Lebanon’s second largest city.
He is the son of Abdul-Hamid Karami, former Lebanese prime minister and finance minister, who played a critical role in achieving the country’s independence in 1943.
He first became prime minister in 1990 and resigned almost two years later following popular demonstrations in what was later called the “revolution of the hungry.”
Karami was elected three times to Parliament in 1992, 1996, and 2000. In 2004, he was appointed prime minister once again after the resignation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Three days of national mourning were confirmed by a decree issued Thursday by Prime Minister Tammam Salam, due to the death of Karami.
The flags will fly at half-mast and public institutions and municipalities close their doors from January 2nd until January 4th, 2015. Television and radio stations are also ordered to stop broadcasting music programs during the mourning period.