Charles Rizk

Charles Rizk (Template:Lang-ar), born in Beirut in 1935, is a Lebanese Maronite politician. A student at the prestigious Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, Rizk began his political career as an aide to President Fuad Chehab. Rizk was Lebanon's representative at the Francophonie and head of the national information agency.

A friend of President Émile Lahoud, Rizk was in April 2005 appointed minister for Tourism and Information in the short-lived government of Najib Mikati. In July 2005, new Prime Minister Fouad Siniora controversially appointed Rizk as Justice minister, a post claimed by Michel Aoun and also by Saad Hariri. The appointment of Rizk, a man close to Lahoud, was opposed as it was felt tat the investigation into the murder of Rafik Hariri would be unlikely to be pursued vigorously by a pro-Lahoud minister.

Rizk silenced critics by giving the investigation his support, and supporting the establishment of the international investigation led by Serge Brammertz. As a result, Lahoud's supporters see Rizk as having betrayed his former allies, and he is now close to the March 14 Alliance. Rizk is considered a possible presidential candidate.