April 2

• The Lebanese Army and the security forces continue the implementation of Tripoli’s security plan, removing earth mounds and roadblocks and arresting a number of wanted men.
• The Cabinet convenes at the Baabda Palace and approves 10 administrative appointments including two appointments to the posts of ISF Director General and Public Prosecutor.
• “If Samir Geagea ran for President, I would not be a nominee against him. I don’t intend to run against anyone,” says General Michel Aoun in an interview with Al-Mayadeen TV.
• President of the Republic Michel Suleiman launches the administrative decentralization project from the Baabda Palace and renews his support for electing a strong president.
• Minister of Justice, Major General Ashraf Rifi, announces that his political camp is inclined to reopen the channels of communication with Hezbollah and the pro-Hezbollah Minister of Industry, Hussein El-Haj Hassan reiterates that the party is always ready to communicate with everybody.
• Following their meeting in Bkerki, the Maronite bishops issue their monthly statement, calling for the enforcement of Tripoli’s security plan in other hotspots and urging the election of a strong president within the constitutional deadlines.
• Public schools and a number of public institutions hold a strike protesting at the delay in the approval of the pay scale.

April 3

• Parliament wraps up its three-day plenary session amid a verbal spat between MP Sami Gemayel and MP Assem Qaso over the draft law proposed by Michel Aoun and requesting compensations to those army officers who were laid off following the October operation of 1990. Speaker Nabih Berri calls on Parliament to meet again next Wednesday and Thursday.
• The Lebanese Army continues its deployment in Tripoli despite threats from the Ahrar Al-Sunna Brigade.
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announces that the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon has reached 1 million.
• A fisherman in Karantina succeeds in catching the crocodile which has been the talk of the town since it was first spotted in the Beirut River.

April 4

• Lebanese Forces Vice President MP Georges Adwan announces that the party’s executive committee has decided to nominate the LF leader Samir Geagea for the presidency of the Lebanese Republic.
• “On this black day, the killer of Rashid Karami entered the presidential race”, responds former Minister Faisal Karami to Geagea’s nomination.
• During a celebration for the Azm and Saade Association in Tripoli, former PM Najib Mikati delivers a speech criticizing Minister of Justice Asraf Rifi and the Future Movement for agreeing to cooperate with Hezbollah after having denied him similar cooperation in the past.
• The joint parliamentary committees meet in Parliament to look at ways to finance the new salary scale.

April 5

• A celebratory fire at a wedding claims the life of a 19-year-old female in Saida.
• Speaker Nabih Berri’s presidential elections committee concludes its meetings with political parties and passes on the outcome of its consultations to Speaker Nabih Berri.

April 6

• An electoral alliance brokered between the Future Movement, Lebanese Forces, the Amal Movement, Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement results in the election of the Future Movement candidate Khaled Shehab as head of the Order of Engineers in Beirut with 5281 votes against 1002 votes for his rival Issam Bekdash. Marios Beaini from the Lebanese Forces wins the elections for the Tripoli Order of Engineers,
• A delegation of those released Lebanese nationals who were abducted in Azaz arrives in Qatar and meets Qatari Prince Sheikh Tami Bin Hamad Al-Thani.
• Civil Defense volunteers stage several protests demanding permanent employment.

April 7

• In a talk with the As-Safir newspaper, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says “we retaliated against the Israeli raid on the town of Jenta by detonating a roadside bomb in the Sheba’a Farms in mid-March last year”, ruling out the possibility of a new Israeli war on Lebanon and noting that the risk of terrorist bombings has receded.
• First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat issues an arrest warrant against businessman Bahij Abou Hamzeh on charges of embezzlement from the Al-Safa football team. Final rulings regarding the lawsuits filed by MP Walid Jumblat against Abou Hamzeh are to be delivered later.
• 8 dead and 11 injured in clashes among Palestinian organizations at the Miyeh w Miyeh camp.
• Joint parliamentary committees postpone the final decision on whether or not to increase value-added tax until today and the Union Coordination Committee warns of escalatory measures if the pay scale does not get approved before next Wednesday.

April 8

• The Cabinet convenes at the Baabda Palace to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis without deciding on administrative appointments.
• Ali Taleb, nephew of the mayor of Fnaideq, attacks a Lebanese Army checkpoint in the town of Qamoua’a on the outskirts of Akkar shooting an officer dead and injuring another soldier.
• The joint parliamentary committees fail to agree on ways to finance the salary scale.
• Former Minister of Information Walid Al-Daouk holds a banquet in honor of former PM Najib Mikati at the Marina Beirut in the presence of a number of ministers, MPs and ambassadors. Mikati wishes the new government well and pinpoints the fact that his government has kept the country safe in the most precarious situations.
• A Lebanese Army checkpoint arrests two bodyguards of the Salafist cleric Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal for transferring unlicensed weapons, which triggers a number of protests.

April 9

• The Parliament’s legislative session concludes by approving a law granting Civil Defense volunteers full-time employment while the Union Coordination Committee stages protests at Riad Solh Square demanding approval of the salary scale and setting Sunday as the final deadline for its completion. Simultaneously, old tenants take to the streets to protest at the new Rent Act.
• Sheikh Orsan Suleiman, a high-ranking official at the Association of the Islamic Charitable Projects, is critically injured in the wake of an attempt to assassinate him.
• Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai urges Speaker Nabih Berri to accelerate his call for a parliamentary session to elect a new President of the Republic, underscoring that the president should not belong either to the March 8 Forces or to those of March 14.

April 10

• The Lebanese Army begins to enforce its security plan in Northern Beka’a and deploys its members in the towns of Brital and Haour Taala, carrying out crackdowns to arrest wanted men, the majority of whom turn out to have already fled the area a few days ago.
• Parliament continues its legislative session for the second consecutive day approving a law that grants power production permits to private firms and levying fines on those encroaching on coastal property with a five-year retroactive effect. Joint parliamentary committees meet to discuss the salary scale funding.
• The banking sector calls a strike tomorrow in protest at Parliament’s intention to raise bank interest from 5% to 7% in order to finance the proposed salary scale.
• Small-scale clashes erupt between the Lebanese Army and a number of wanted gunmen in Tripoli.
• The military judiciary issues an arrest warrant against Refaat Eid, a top official at the Lebanese Arab Democratic Party, on charges of affiliation to a terrorist organization.
• Army Commander Jean Qahwaji reiterates the army’s ongoing efforts to hunt down terrorists during the conference held by the Lebanese Army to tackle regional developments.

April 11

• The joint parliamentary committees finalize deliberations over the salary scale draft law and refer it to the General Assembly to resolve the conflicting opinions inside the committees particularly over the VAT increase.
• Speaker Nabih Berri refuses to receive a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon on the grounds that the Association’s head, François Bassil, had accused MPs of theft. The delegation instead meets the Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil to discuss the salary scale funding issue and MP Hani Qoubeissy drops the lawsuit he had filed against Bassil for slandering lawmakers.
• Upon his return from Switzerland, Patriarch Al-Rai announces that he is neither for nor against any presidential nominee, asserting that he would accept any candidate that draws consensus from Parliament.
• MP and Minister Jean Obeid announces that he has not yet presented his candidacy for the presidential elections.
• During a lecture at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Germany, former PM Najib Mikati doubts that the parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on time, underlining that the Lebanese are not yet qualified to amend the Taef Accord.

April 12

• A delegation of the Association of Banks in Lebanon visits President Michel Suleiman and briefs him on the banking sector’s stance regarding the salary scale approval and the hazards of increasing taxes on the interest earned on bank deposits.
• LF leader Sami Geagea announces that the March 14 Forces are inching closer towards supporting his nomination for the presidency of the republic.

April 13

• Catholic schools reiterate their opposition to the salary scale as it would lead to a decline in the student population in private schools.
• A number of Lebanese regions mark the civil war anniversary with a series of meetings and gatherings.
• The Christians of Lebanon celebrate Palm Sunday.
• Fire ravages an agricultural farm in Halba, leaving 3 children dead.

April 14

• Three crew members from Al-Manar TV die in the Syrian town of Maaloula while covering the entry of the Syrian Army into the town.
• The Baalbck-based Ahrar Al-Sunna Brigade claims responsibility for the 3 rockets that landed in the town of Al-Labwi in a retaliatory response to Hezbollah’s actions in Qalamoun. The Lebanese Army asserts that the rockets were fired from Syria.
• Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Azizi receives former PM Saad Hariri who congratulated him on his appointment to his new post.
• The parliamentary Future Bloc refuses the financing of the salary scale before providing the necessary revenues and stopping the drain on public funds.
• Accompanied by Nader Hariri, former PM Fouad Seniora visits the former President of the Republic Amine Gemayel and both parties issue a joint statement assuring full agreement over the holding of presidential elections on time.
• Hackers penetrate the Maronite Patriarchate website and post a photo of the Holy Quran with Muslim prayers appearing on the home page.
• The National Struggle Front warns that the current salary scale would lead to inflation followed by collapse.

April 15

• Parliament fails to approve the salary scale and a committee is formed to re-examine the scale within 15 days upon the proposition of former PM Fouad Seniora, which gained 65 ayes. The Amal Movement and Hezbollah apologize for not participating in the committee.
• The Union Coordination Committee calls for a general strike to protest at the delay in approving the salary scale.
• The State Shura Council dismisses the appeal filed by Grand Mufti Mohamad Rashid Qabbani against the latest extension of the Council headed by Meskawi.
• Pope Francis appoints Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rai as a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
• The Military Court of Cassation releases Sheikh Hassan Mshaymesh who was charged with ties to Mossad on bail of LBP 5 million.

April 16

• The Cabinet convenes a session at the Baabda Palace to study economic and living conditions and appoints Fatima Sayegh Oueidat as head of the Civil Service Board for six years. It also grants the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut an advance payment of LBP 20 billion.
• Speaker Nabih Berri schedules the session to elect a President of the Republic for April 23, asserting that convening this session does not prevent the holding of other legislative sessions.
• LF leader Samir Geagea announces his presidential program entitled “The Strong Republic” in the presence of media crowds and politicians. Among the attendees is the representative of Speaker Nabih Berri, MP Michel Moussa.
• Head of the criminal Court, Judge Abdul Rahim Hammoud agrees to release businessman Salah Ezzedine on bail of LBP 5 million. Ezzedine has been detained for four and a half years for embezzling funds worth USD 400 million.

April 17

• Maronite Patriarch Al-Rai holds mass for Holy Thursday at the Roumieh prison and washes the feet of a number of inmates following the example of Jesus Christ.
• President of the Republic Michel Suleiman chairs a security meeting at the Baabda Palace to discuss the security situation and the security plans enforced in Tripoli and Beqa’a.

April 18

• Christians of Lebanon celebrate Good Friday and President Suleiman attends mass at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik stressing during his speech that he will leave the presidency on May 24.
• Head of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, Mohammad Raad, reports that Hezbollah wants a president who would advocate the choice of resistance, urging rationality and the avoidance of miscalculated escapades.
• Former Minister Wiam Wahhab indicates that the March 8 Forces are likely to support the nomination of Emile Rahmi for President of the Republic against Samir Geagea.

April 19

• A Lebanese Forces delegation headed by Strida Geagea visits General Michel Aoun and hands him Samir Geagea’s presidential program.
• Nouhad Al-Mashnouq heads a security meeting at the Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities in the presence of Hezbollah’s representative Wafiq Safa. The meeting concludes with agreement to evacuate the injured from the remote border village of al-Tufail and to send humanitarian aid to the residents.
• A stick of dynamite explodes in the hands of a number of children in the Akkar town of Qoulayat causing the death of 2 people and the injury of another 4.

April 20

• A Lebanese Forces delegation headed by Strida Geagea pays visits to each of the former Presidents, Amine Gemayel and MP Walid Jumblat and hands them the presidential program of LF leader Samir Geagea. Other LF delegations visit MP Dory Chamoun, the Future Movement and the Islamic Jama’a for the same purpose.
• MP Walid Jumblat receives a Free Patriotic Movement delegation chaired by Minister Gebran Bassil.
• Former PM Saad Hariri reiterates his support of Geagea’s nomination during a phone conversation between the two.

April 21

• The UNHCR periodic report puts the number of the registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon at 1,024,263.
• On the 20th anniversary of his detention, LF leader Samir Geagea inaugurates at his residence in Meerab a replica of the prison cells where he was detained.

April 22

• MP Walid Jumblat declares the Democratic Gathering’s nomination of MP Henry Helou for the presidency. Helou reports that he is not running for maneuvering purposes.
• Following the Change and Reform Bloc meeting, MP Emile Rahmeh announces that the bloc members will attend the session scheduled to elect a president of the republic and will cast blank ballots.
• The development and Liberation Bloc declares its intention to attend the parliamentary session to elect a president of the republic.
• The Phalanges Party, following its meeting, confirms its support of Geagea’s nomination for the presidency of the republic.
• The Lebanese Forces delegation headed by Strida Geagea continues its tour and hands Speaker Nabih Berri and MP Michel El-Murr Geagea’s presidential program.
• Former PM Najib Mikati and MP Ahmad Karami support MP Henry Helou in the presidential race, in accord with the proclivities of Tripoli.
• Protests staged in Tripoli and banners raised in condemnation of Geagea’s nomination for presidency.
• A relief security plan kicks off to deliver humanitarian aid to the residents of al-Tufail.

April 23

• In the presence of 124 MPs and with the absence of former PM Saad Hariri, Okab Sakr, Elie Aoun (due to illness) and Khaled Daher (for no given reason), Lebanon’s Parliament convenes and fails to elect a president of the republic with a two-thirds majority. When the votes were counted, the tally stood at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea 48 votes, the Progressive Socialist Party deputy Henry Helou 16 votes, Phalanges Party Chief and former president of the republic Amine Gemayel 1 vote, while 52 parliamentarians cast blank ballots. Six votes were considered void for containing the names of Rashid Karami, Dany Chamoun, Tarek Dany Chamoun (2), Elias Yazbek and Jihane Tony Frnagieh and a seventh envelope did not contain a ballot paper. Speaker Nabih Berri adjourns the session until next Wednesday for a second voting round.
• MP Ziad Aswad reveals that he was the one who voted for Jihane Frangieh and Tripoli’s MP Mohammad Abdul Latif Kabbara announces that he refused to grant Gegaea amnesty in the past and he would not vote in his favor today, for he is accused of killing PM Rashid Karami.
• MP Strida Geagea reports that the seven spoilt votes exemplify political bankruptcy and General Michel Aoun views that the withdrawal of his bloc from the session is aimed at reaching consensus.

April 24

• Patriarch al-Rai visits Speaker Nabih Berri to deliberate about the presidential elections and reiterates before his departure for Rome that repeating the election session scenario is an insult to the people and to Parliament.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil meets his Russian counterpart in Moscow.
• LF leader Samir Geagea assures the LBC that he will run in the presidential race till the very end, adding that Michel Aoun’s decision to be or not be a candidate for President is entirely up to him.
• Army Commander Jean Qahwaji checks on the Lebanese Army’s checkpoints in Tripoli and reaffirms ongoing efforts to enforce the devised security plan.
• The Lebanese Army arrests a wanted Lebanese national in Tripoli and a Syrian with an explosive belt in Arsal.

April 25

• PM Tamam Salam chairs a Cabinet session that concludes with the referral of the bombings that ravaged the Southern Suburb of Beirut, Tripoli and Hermel as well as the assassination of former Minister Mohamamd Chatah to the Justice Council.
• President Suleiman receives Patriarch al-Rai at his residence in Rome and the meeting tackles the presidential elections.
• Patriarch al-Rai calls former PM Saad Hariri from Rome to discuss the presidential elections.
• The Special Tribunal for Lebanon summons Ibrahim al-Amine, editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper and Karma Al-Khayat, deputy director of Al-Jadeed TV on charges of alleged contempt and disruption of justice and schedules hearings on May 13. The news triggers a wave of protests and condemnation and Minister of Information Ramzi Jreij states that the decisions of the Tribunal must be respected and legally enforced.

April 26

• US Ambassador David Hale visits LF leader Samir Gegaea to discuss the presidential elections.
• Speaker Nabih Berri reveals that Lebanon and Libya have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the Imam Mussa As-Sadr case.
• Fadi Gemayel who headed over a 24-member list wins the chairmanship of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists over his rival Ramez Abou Nader. Of the 18 candidates on Abou Nader’s list, 10 were running simultaneously with the Gemayel’s list.

April 27

• Syrian President Bashar Assad receives retired Major General Jamil Sayyed.
• Syrian National Coalition leader Ahmad Jarba contacts LF leader Samir Geagea and wishes him success in the presidential elections.
• Director General of General Security Abbas Ibrahim announces that the risk of bombings has dropped by 90% after the crack down on militant strongholds in Syria.
• President Suleiman attends the mass marking Saint Maroun’s jubilee held at the Church of St Maroun in Rome, under the Maronite Patriarch al-Rai who urges the election of a President who could pick up from where his predecessor left off and continue to improve the profile of Lebanon at Arab and International levels.

April 28

• PM Tamam Salam states that the government is not aspiring to fill the presidential void and that he is seeking to undertake a tour beginning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Journalists gather at the Press Syndicate in solidarity with Al-Akhbar newspaper and Al-Jadeed TV and denounce the STL charges against Al-Amine and Al-Khayat. Minister of Information, Ramzi Jreij, calls on journalists to appear in court.
• LF leader Samir Geagea states during a press conference that a great danger looms over the presidential elections and that we might end up with a presidential vacuum.
• The Lebanese Army arrests Abdul Rahim Al-Araj, the commander of the military council in Qalamoun and Al-Qusayr, on suspicion of illegal firearms trafficking.

April 29

• Former PM Saad Hariri, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil and Minister of Education Elias Bou Saab meet in Paris to discuss the presidential elections and the need to avoid a stalemate.
• Following its regular meeting, the Future Bloc reiterates its support for Samir Geagea as a presidential nominee.
• The Union Coordination Committee takes to the streets and kicks off its protest march at the Banque du Liban, before going on to the Chamber of Industry and the Association of Banks then straight to the Riad As-solh Square, demanding the approval of the salary scale.
• Riots break out at the Roumieh prison.

April 30

• Speaker Nabih Berri adhourns the parliamentary session scheduled to elect a President of the Republic until May 7 citing the lack of a quorum. Present were 75 MPs, with the session requiring at least 86 out of 128. Strida Geagea was among the absentees due to travel.
• Maronite Patriarch Al-Rai meets former PM Saad Hariri in Paris and stresses the need to hold presidential elections on time.
• In his phone conversation with MP Walid Jumblat, French President François Hollande emphasizes Jumblat’s role in raising the likelihood of holding the presidential elections in Lebanon.
• Members of the Lebanese Democratic Party, headed by Talal Arslan dismiss the pro-Jumblat director of Hasbaya’s government hospital.
• Five soldiers wounded in armed clashes between the Lebanese Army and gunmenin the outskirts of Arsal.