Jordanian politician (1934–2023)
Mudar Mohammad Ayesh Badran (Arabic: مضر بدران; 18 January 1934 – 22 April 2023) was a Jordanian politician, government minister, and industrialist of Palestinian descent. He served as the 23rd Prime Minister of Jordan on three occasions from 1976 to 1979, then again from 1980 to 1984, and finally from 1989 to 1991.
Biography
Badran was born in Jerash, Jordan (then the Emirate of Transjordan, a colony of the United Kingdom) in 1934 to Palestinian parents. His father hailed from Nablus.[1] He studied at the Damascus University in French Syria and graduated as a lawyer. Badran started his career as a young officer in the Jordanian army. Later, he served as the Director of the General Intelligence Directorate in the 1970s, during Black September. Following this troubled time, he became chief of the Hashemite Royal Court. He also served as Minister of Education.
Badran became Prime Minister of Jordan from 1976 to 1984, with a brief interruption from 1979 until 1980. He was appointed to the position again on 4 December 1989, replacing Zaid bin Shaker after his resignation.[2][3] Badran's third term lasted until 1991, when Jordan once again became a democracy, and the Senate gained its legitimate powers again after two decades with no parliamentary elections. He served more than eight years as Prime Minister, which made him the second-longest serving Prime Minister of Jordan, second only to Zaid al-Rifai.[4] He also served as foreign minister from 1976 to 1979 and as defense minister for most of the time that he was Prime Minister. Badran was a close associate of King Hussein.
In 1993, he was appointed a member of the Senate. In 2011, he was given and honorary PhD in economics from the Hashemite University. Badran was also the target of a failed assassination attempt in Amman in February 1981 by the Syrian Defense Companies.[5][6]
Personal life
Badran's younger brother, Adnan Badran was prime minister of Jordan in 2005.[7]
Badran lived in Abdoun neighborhood of Amman with his wife, Mo'mina. They had two sons and three daughters. His daughter, Reem Badran, served as a deputy in the House of Representatives.
Phasing out of political life, Badran headed to the private sector where he started a steel company, Jordan Steel P.L.C., in 1993. It became a leading steel manufacturer in the country.[8]
Death
Badran died on 22 April 2023, at the age of 89.[9]
