April 3

• The Future Bloc favors the acceleration of government consultations to designate a PM and calls for the formation of a neutral government, with the Baabda announcement as its ministerial statement, to hold the parliamentary elections.
• General Michel Aoun lashes out at MP Walid Jumblat on OTV and insists on putting the Orthodox Gathering proposal to vote in Parliament. “We’ve been living in vacuum since Suleiman came to presidency,” he says.
• The First Investigative Magistrate Judge in Beirut, Ghassan Oueidat, issues arrest warrants against 7 suspects involved in the attacks on 2 Muslim clerics affiliated with Dar El-Fatwa.
• The US Department of State warns its citizens of the risks of travelling to Lebanon.

April 4

• Maronite leaders meet in Bkerke and voice commitment not to run for the elections according to the 1960s’ law. Participants agree to suspend their discussion of the Orthodox Gathering proposition until an agreement on a consensual law is reached.
• MP Suleiman Frangieh reports following a meeting in Ain El-Tineh that the March 8 Forces will nominate a consensual candidate for the premiership.
• MP Walid Jumblat visits MP Talal Erslan in Khaldeh and the latter urges the postponement of parliamentary consultations.
• The monthly statement of the Maronite Bishops calls for an electoral law that would replace the 1960s’ law, be more just to the Lebanese and avoid the extension of Parliament’s term.
• Caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn signs a decree delaying the discharge of Brigadier General Edmond Fadel who is set to retire on April 5.
• A Russian cargo plane carrying aid to Syrian refugees lands in Lebanon and delivers its supplies to the High Relief Committee.
• Syrian aircrafts fire two rockets into the outskirts of the Lebanese town Ersal.
• The Higher Consultative Committee at the Ministry of Justice asserts that nothing prevents the registration of the civil marriage of Nidal Darwish and Khouloud Sukkarieh.

April 5

• March 14 Forces convene at Beit El-Wasat and nominate MP Tamam Salam for premiership in the presence of Salam who just came back from a meeting with former PM Saad Hariri in KSA.
• MP Walid Jumblat announces on LBC his support for Tamam Salam as Prime Minister, stressing that only a national unity government can obtain his vote of confidence. Jumblat adds that he declined Rafic Hariri’s nomination of Ashraf Rifi for premiership because the latter is a controversial candidate.
• Minister of Energy and Water Jobran Bassil assures that Lebanon will enjoy round the clock access to electricity in 2015.
• The PSP submits requests to run for elections excluding the candidacy of Ghazi El-Aridi.
• French cassation court strikes down the release of George Ibrahim Abdallah and his supporters react by staging a protest outside the French Embassy in Beirut.
• The Al-Meqdads block roads in the southern suburb of Beirut in demand of the release of Al-Meqdad members from prison.

April 6

• The first day of the parliamentary consultations held by President Michel Suleiman conclude with 86 MPs nominating Tamam Salam for Premiership including members of the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and Nabih Berri’s bloc. General Michel Aoun and MP Suleiman Frangieh boycott the consultations.
• Minister of Interior and Municipalities Marwan Charbel demands the postponement of elections until June 16 and the extension of the candidacy period until April 26.
• Families of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Aazaz close down the Syrian shops in Hay El-Selloum until the release of the abducted.

April 8

• 124 votes in the parliamentary consultations held by President Michel Suleiman qualify Tamam Salam for premiership.
• PM Tamam Salam receives both the Russian and Iranian ambassadors among other visitors flocking to extend congratulations over his designation as PM.
• Patriarch Al-Rai holds separate meetings in Bkerke with General Michel Aoun and former PM Fouad Seniora to discuss the electoral law.
• The Phalanges invite party members to a wide-scale meeting headed by former President Amine Gemayel at the Forum de Beyrouth and MP Sami Gemayel urges PM-designate Tamam Salam to craft an electoral law and protect Lebanon.

April 9

• Patriarch Al-Rai meets President Suleiman before undertaking a trip to France and then to Latin America on a 50-day pastoral visit.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam pays protocol visits to his previous counterparts and receives two letters of congratulations conveyed by the Saudi ambassador from the KSA.
• Speaker Nabih Berri heads a Parliament Bureau Committee meeting to discuss extension of the deadlines related to the upcoming parliamentary elections, but to no avail.
• An experts’ committee hands General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi a report containing 411 names of suspects in Al-Madina Bank scandal who received funds worth approximately USD 607 million in suspicious ways.
• Sheikh Ahmad El-Assir heads with his family for a trip to Turkey.
• Families of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria prevent Syrian workers in the southern suburb from attending to their businesses.

April 10

• Postponement of the parliamentary session scheduled to discuss extension or suspension of electoral deadlines until today.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam kicks off parliamentary consultations to form a government.
• French President Francois Hollande receives Patriarch Al-Rai at the Élysée Palace and a French statement reiterates France’s commitment to the stability of Lebanon. Al-Rai also meets former PM Issam Fares in Paris.
• The Higher Islamic Council convenes under the chairmanship of MP Omar Meskawi, in the presence of 19 members, and warns the Grand Mufti not to violate the decision of the Shura Council to suspend the polls.
• Hackers attack the online newspaper Al-Mustaqbal and show a list of the names and pictures of the STL secret witnesses instead of the usual news articles.

April 11

• Parliament approves a draft law suspending electoral deadlines until May 19 amid the boycotting of the National Struggle Front and MP Walid Jumblat criticizes the Future Movement.
• Former PM Saad Hariri visits Patriarch Al-Rai at his residence in France.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam ends parliamentary consultations and tells As-Safir “There is no 3rd veto power in cabinet and this is not a political government.”
• Bomb signed by the Nusra Front and carrying anti-Hezbollah inscriptions found in Hay El-Selloum.
• Future Movement Secretary General Ahmad Hariri assures that Salam is the right man for this phase after meeting him.
• STL’s spokesman Martin Youssef asserts that the leaked names of witnesses do not reflect the tribunal’s records.
• Major General Abbas Ibrahim heads for Syria to broker a solution to the crossing of oil tank trucks through the al-Masnaa highway.

April 12

• Syrian fighter aircrafts fire shells at the Lebanese town of Ersal leaving 10 people injured. President Suleiman brands the attack as inexcusable and urges the army to supply the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the shelling details.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam meets President Michel Suleiman and decides to keep a low profile and focus on forming the government silently.
• Christian MPs and prominent figures convene at MP Boutros Harb’s residence and Harb reiterates his rejection of Parliament term’s extension, urging holding the elections on time.
• MP Wael Bou Faour criticizes the Future Movement stating that they turned their backs on his bloc in Parliament, but stresses solid ties with Speaker Nabih Berri.
• Deputy Speaker Farid Makari slams Patriarch al-Rai on Future TV for acting as ambassador for the Syrian regime, thus prompting a series of opposing and deploring responses from al-Rai’s supporters.

April 13

• Abducted Hussein Jaafar freed in exchange for the release of the 6 kidnapped residents.
• Lebanese clerics representing all 18 sects meet for prayer in downtown, Beirut, in commemoration of the Lebanese Civil War.
• Families of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria stage a protest in the Martyrs’ Square urging the boycotting of all Turkish products until the release of the abducted.
• Sheikh Ahmad El-Assir resumes his activity upon his return from Turkey and calls for a protest at the Hariri’s Mosque roundabout in Saida.

April 15

• The Free Syrian Army in Reef Al-Qassir shells the pro-Hezbollah town of Hosh Sayyed in Hermel, leaving 2 dead and 6 injured.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam meets a March 8 Forces delegation away from media glare to discuss government formation. March 8 Forces reiterates the need for a political government.
• MP Mohammad Raad stresses that every party should be represented in the government according to its weight, adding that hiding behind neutrality is inappropriate for the time being.
• The Grand Mufti holds elections despite the opposition of the Shura Council. Candidates win uncontested in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Saida, Hasbaya Marjeyoun and Akkar, while lack of quorum halts the elections in Tripoli and Beqa’a.
• Gatherings at the Mothaf and Sodeco areas in commemoration of the Lebanese Civil War.
• The March 14 Forces and the Future Movement win Order of Engineers by-election in Beirut. 9700 out of 31700 engineers took part in the elections.

April 16

• President Michel Suleiman heads a judicial and security meeting at the Presidential Palace in the presence of former PM Najib Mikati, a number of ministers and security and judicial figures to discuss the repercussions of the Syrian migration to Lebanon and explore possible solutions to immunize Lebanon. Lebanon decides to call upon the Security Council to convene a session over the Syrian refugees’ situation and to turn to the Arab League to stop the Syrian attacks on Lebanon.
• Former President Amine Gemayel urges the formation of official camps to curb the dispersion of Syrian refugees all over Lebanon, warning that their numbers have exceeded 10% of the size of the Lebanese population.
• STL President, Judge David Baragwanath, arrives in Lebanon and meets a number of Lebanese officials. The STL spokesperson, Martin Youssef, assures that the tribunal will take internal measures to halt leaking.
• Families of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria proceed with their protest movements and detain a number of Turkish trucks in demand of the release of the abducted.

April 17

• Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi announces that the Syrian President’s amnesty decision might include a number of Lebanese jailed in Syria.
• Minister of Energy and Water relays to the Saudi ambassador the greetings of General Michel Aoun during his meeting with him at the Saudi embassy. The ambassador underlines that the kingdom supports the unity of all the Lebanese.
• PM-designate Tamam Salam meets President Michel Suleiman in Baabda and reveals that he will not rush nor delay the formation of the government. “I am waiting to receive the proposed names from the political parties,” he says to As-Safir.
• The Parliamentary Communications Committee holds a meeting at the Nejmeh Square to look into a consensual electoral formula.
• Families of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria protest outside the Turkish embassy and threaten of further escalation. The Turkish ambassador expresses willingness to receive the families on condition that they maintain an amiable attitude.
• Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi dismisses a second judge based on the decision of the Higher Disciplinary Committee.
• Following his meeting with the STL President, General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi assures that he claims no responsibility for the leaking of names and photos of witnesses.

April 18

• Former Prime Ministers convene at the Grand Serail in the presence of the new PM-designate and the absence of former PM Salim El-Hoss to discuss the Dar El-Fatwa situation following the High Islamic Council elections, which they deemed null. Mikati demands not to publish the results of the elections in the Official Gazette.
• PM-designate Najib Mikati voices readiness to hand over the torch should the parties reach an impasse over electoral law.
• “Instability risks would increase in Lebanon if the elections weren’t held,” says Maura Connelly, US Ambassador to Lebanon, revealing that the US President Barack Obama might visit soon.
• Saida’s sub-security council bans Sheikh Ahmad Assir from protesting outside the Al-Zahraa Mosque and the latter insists on the protest.
• “Our hearts are open to Hezbollah,” says Saudi Ambassador Ali Awad Osseiri to As-Safir.

April 19

• President Michel Suleiman urges the approval of an electoral law that respects coexistence during his speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Law at the USJ.
• Families of the Lebanese pilgrims in Syria paralyze the work of the Turkish Airlines offices in downtown, Beirut, following a sit-in they staged outside the offices.
• Minister of Energy and Water Jobran Bassil announces the names of the companies eligible to carry out oil and gas excavations in Lebanon.
• Sheikh Ahmad El-Assir puts off the protest scheduled today near the al-Zahraa Mosque.

April 20

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterates during a phone call with President Michel Suleiman that Germany supports Lebanon’s quest to solve the crisis of the Syrian refugees.
• The UNHCR announces that the number of registered Syrian refugees has reached 428 000.
• “I’d rather apologize for not forming a government than come up with a futile government,” says MP-designate Tamam Salam to As-Safir.

April 22

• The Nusra Front and the Free Syrian Army renew their shelling of the towns of al-Qasr and Hermel from their base in Al-Qassir town near Homs, citing Hezbollah’s participation in military acts in support of the Assad regime in Syria as a reason for their attack. President Suleiman asserts that shelling does not serve democracy.
• A delegation of pro-Assad Lebanese parties arrives in Damascus and meets the Syrian president for two hours. Assad reports that the delegation represents the real Lebanon wondering how Lebanon can disassociate itself when it is standing within the danger zone.
• MP Mouin Merhebi fires shots in the air in Beddawi after the police refused to remove the checkpoint they had set and which Merehbi claims was causing traffic jams and blocking the road.
• “Nobody can budge us from where we are,” replies Minister of Energy and Water Jobran Bassil to former PM Najib Mikati.
• People rally in Tripoli in protest of violence and the use of weapons.
• The Phalanges Party holds a celebration in Bekfaya in honor of its Civil War fighters.
• Nehmeh Mahfouz wins presidency over the Private School Teachers’ Union after tight competition with a list backed by the Free Patriotic Movement and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

April 23

• In response to Hezbollah’s engagement in Syria’s battles, Sheikh Ahmad El-Assir announces the establishment of the Free Resistance Brigades and other clandestine groups to fight Hezbollah.
• Sheikh Salem Al-Rafei calls for the full mobilization of fighters and weapons in support of the Syrian opposition and the Sunnis of Al-Qassir.
• Families of the Lebanese abducted in Syria stage a protest outside the Turkish Cultural Center in downtown, Beirut, and call on President Suleiman to summon the Turkish Ambassador within 48 hours before airport closure.
• The State Security withdraws the security members tasked with the protection of MP Mouin Merhebi following the clash he had with the ISF.
• “Our dissociation policy saves Lebanon from burning down,” responds former PM Najib Mikati to the Syrian President’s statements.

April 24

• General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi orders calls for lifting immunity off MP Mouin Merhebi for offending the ISF, and Merhebi responds by reiterating his willingness to open fire again and branding Madi’s decision as trivial.
• The Change and Reform Bloc holds its weekly meeting in Deir El-Balamand in solidarity with the two abducted bishops.
• The Parliamentary Communications Committee fails to reach agreement over one electoral law and refers the matter to the general assembly.
• The Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urges the formation of a technical government away from quotas and exclusions.
• STL spokesperson Marten Youssef reveals that the trials might begin next fall.

April 25

• Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Garcia Margallo arrives in Lebanon on an official visit and expresses concerns over the rise of Salafist groups.
• Rally at the Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut in commemoration of the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and Armenians denounce Turkey’s policy and demands the restoration of churches and endowments.
• “I will not vote but on the Orthodox Gathering proposition and I will not boycott the elections, even if performed on the 1960s’ law,” says General Michel Aoun following the Change and Reform Bloc meeting.
• France pays its 2013 STL share of 1.5 million euros, thus bringing its total contribution to the court to 7 million euros.
• A bomb left over from the clashes of Nahr el-Bared explodes and injures 11 people.
• President Michel Suleiman slams calls to send fighters and weapons to Syria.

April 26

• Israel shoots down a drone, which it claims was sent by Hezbollah, off the coast of Haifa, and Hezbollah denies the allegations.
• Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Marwan Charbel, signs off Lebanon’s first civil marriage of Nidal Darwish and Khouloud Sukkarieh after the approval of the High Advisory Committee at the Ministry of Justice.
• Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov arrives in Lebanon from Iran and kicks off a series of meetings with Lebanese officials.

April 27

• Speaker Nabig Berri hands a new electoral proposal to MP Walid Jumblat who promises to review it and respond within 24 hours.
• Hezbollah holds a lunch banquet in honor of the
• Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov meets Hezbollah members over lunch and visits MP Walid Jumblat in his Mukhtara residence after having met earlier in Beirut. Bogdanov also holds meetings with each of President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, former PM Najib Mikati, General Jean Qahwaji and Bishop Elias Awdeh.
• Members of the National Struggle Front bloc and MPs Marwan Hamadeh, Farid Makari and Ahmad Karami file an appeal before the Constitutional Council against the suspension of the nominations’ deadlines for the Parliamentary elections.

April 29

• Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov concludes his three-day visit to Lebanon after meeting Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and reiterates his support of stability in Lebanon and dialogue in Syria.
• Clashes erupt in Beddawi after the removal of building violations in the area leaving 3, including 1 ISF member, dead and 14 injured.
• The number of Syrian refugees registered at the UNHCR reaches 440,000.