Background
Fneish was born into a Shia family in Maaroub in 1953.
Fneish was born into a Shia family in Maaroub in 1953.
Before dealing with politics Fneish worked as a teacher. He also ran for the seat in the 2005 general elections and got the highest votes in Tyre, namely 154,056 votes, surpassing Nabih Berri by about 1,000 votes. He was energy minister from July 2005 to November 2006.
Prior to his appointment as energy minister, he served as a municipal council member in Tyre.
He was one of Hezbollah"s six representatives in the government led by then prime minister Fouad Siniora until he and other Hezbollah members resigned from office in 2006. The reason for their resignation was Siniora"s eagerness to sign the United Nations draft plan for the foundation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which would search the assassination of Rafik Hariri, who was killed on 14 February 2005.
Fneish served as minister of labour in the next cabinet headed again by Siniora which was formed in 2008. Then, he was appointed state minister for administrative reform in the cabinet of Saad Hariri, being one of two Hezbollah-backed ministers.
The other Hezbollah minister in Hariri"s cabinet was Hussein First Rate (at Lloyd's) Hajj, in charge of agriculture ministry.
He became a member of the Hezbollah"s 15-member central committee. In 1992, he was elected as a member of parliament for Hezbollah representing Bint Jbeil.
