Ghassan Hitto | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ghassan Hitto in 2013 | |
| Prime Minister of theSyrian Interim Government Acting | |
| In office 18 March 2013 – 14 September 2013 | |
| President | Moaz al-Khatib George Sabra(acting) Ahmad al-Jarba |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Tu'mah |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1963 (age 61–62) Damascus,Syria |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis Indiana Wesleyan University |
Ghassan Hitto (Arabic:غسان هيتو; born 1963) is a Syrianbusinessman,NGO executive and politician. In 2013, he was the first head of theinterim government established by theSyrian opposition'sNational Coalition.[1][2] Born inDamascus into aKurdish family, he leftSyria to the U.S. in 1980, became a naturalizedAmerican citizen and worked as an information technology executive and lived inTexas until theSyrian civil war. In late 2012, he relocated toTurkey.[3] He was elected prime minister on 18 March 2013 by a narrow margin over formerBa'athist agricultural ministerAssad Mustafa.[4] Hitto resigned on 8 July 2013.[5]
Hitto graduated fromIndiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis in 1989 with degrees inmathematics andcomputer science.[6][7] He also received anM.B.A. atIndiana Wesleyan University in 1994.[3][6]
Hitto is a former businessman who has lived in theUnited States for decades, most recently inMurphy, Texas.[2][8] Before joining the opposition, he worked with Inovar, a Telecommunication firm, from 2001 to 2012.[6]
Hitto's candidacy as primer minister of the opposition's government was backed byQatar.France 24 reported that he was seen as close to the opposition'sIslamist ranks.[9] He received 35 of 48 votes cast for the premiership, according to theBBC.[10] Following his election, at least 12 key members of the SNC suspended their membership partly in protest of Hitto's election on a majority vote instead of a consensus vote.[11]
Hitto was unable to form a government because of persistent divisions within the coalition. On 8 July 2013, he announced his resignation as prime minister.[9]
Later, Hitto was active as the CEO of Syrian Forum, ahumanitarian NGO that intervened in favor ofSyrian refugees.[12][13]
Hitto is married to Suzanne Hitto, an American schoolteacher; they have four children, Amer, Imran, Obaida, Lama all born in the United States.[4] He has worked in thetechnology sector and supported the private schoolBrighter Horizons Academy[14] founded in 1989 by theIslamic Services Foundation (ISF).[15] He is also a founding member of theMuslim Legal Fund of America[16] created after the11 September 2001 attacks to give legal aid to Muslims.
