Elias Hrawi
When his close friend Elias Hrawi became president whose term lasted from 1989 to 1998, Samaha was made by him the information minister in 1992, then tourism minister for six months, then information minister again from 1992 to 1995. Samaha won the Catholic parliamentary seat in North Metn in 1992 after the Taif agreement became effective. However, he lost it in the 1996 and 2000 elections. Then prime minister Rafik Hariri appointed him information minister in 2003. This appointment was made during the term of president Emile Lahoud whose tenure lasted from 1998 to 2007.