Ahmad Mahir Pasha

Who was Ahmad Mahir Pasha?

Ahmed Maher Pasha was the Prime Minister of Egypt from 10 October 1944 to 24 February 1945. He was a member of the Saadist Institutional Party and was appointed Prime Minister following the removal of Mustafa an-Nahhas Pasha by King Farouk.

After assuming power he called for new elections and opposed the candidacies of members of the Muslim Brotherhood, against whom he had declared a fatwa. All Muslim Brotherhood members were defeated in what were widely considered to be unfair elections. Maher then declared war against the Axis Powers in World War II, primarily to gain a diplomatic advantage at the end of the war. Immediately after his announcement, Maher was assassinated at parliament by 28-year-old Mustafa Essawy. Although it was assumed that Essawy was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, he later confessed that he was actually a member of the Wafd Party instead.

Ahmed Maher Pasha was the grandfather of Ahmed Maher, Egypt's Foreign Minister from 2001 to 2004, as well as Ambassador Ali Maher.