Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri,also known as Rafiq al-Hariri,was a Lebanese business tycoon and politician,who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until he resigned on 20 October 2004,before his assassination in 2005.
Michel Naim Aoun is a Lebanese politician and former military general who served as the President of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 until 30 October 2022.
The Free Patriotic Movement is a Lebanese political party. Founded by Michel Aoun in 1994,the party is currently led by Aoun's son-in-law Gebran Bassil since 2015.
Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri is a Lebanese-Saudi politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. The son of Rafic Hariri,he founded and has been leading the Future Movement party since 2007. He is seen as "the strongest figurehead" of the March 14 Alliance.
Fouad Siniora is a Lebanese politician,a former Prime Minister of Lebanon,a position he held from 19 July 2005 to 25 May 2008. He stepped down on 9 November 2009 in favor of Saad Hariri,the late Rafik Hariri's son. He is the leader of the parliamentary group of the Future Movement.
Muhammad Fneish is a Shia Lebanese politician and member of Hezbollah. He represented Hezbollah in the Third Cabinet of Saad Hariri,serving as the Minister of Sports and Youth.
Along with the Amal Movement,Hezbollah is one of the two main parties representing the Shia community,Lebanon's largest religious bloc. Amal has made a commitment to carrying out its activities through political means,but remains a partial fighting force aiding Hezbollah when the need arises.
The March 14 Alliance,named after the date of the Cedar Revolution,was a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that were united by their anti-Syrian stance and by their opposition to the March 8 Alliance. It was led by Saad Hariri,Walid Jumblatt and Samir Geagea,as well as other prominent figures.
The 2006–2008 Lebanese protests were a series of political protests and sit-ins in Lebanon that began on 1 December 2006,led by groups that opposed the US and Saudi-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and ended on 21 May 2008 with the signing of the Doha Agreement. The opposition was made up of Hezbollah,Amal,and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM);a number of smaller parties were also involved,including the Marada party,the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. A majority of the members of the government were part of the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance,a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon. The two groups were also divided along religious lines,with most Sunnis and Druze supporting the government,and most Shi'a supporting the opposition. The Christian community was split between the two factions,with Michel Aoun,the leader of the FPM,claiming to have more than 70% support among the Christians,based on the results of the 2005 parliamentary election.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),also referred to as the Lebanon Tribunal or the Hariri Tribunal,is a tribunal of international character applying Lebanese criminal law under the authority of the United Nations to carry out the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for 14 February 2005 assassination of Rafic Hariri,the former Lebanese prime minister,and the deaths of 21 others,as well as those responsible for connected attacks.
On 9 November 2009,after five months of negotiations following the 2009 parliamentary elections,Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri formed a national unity government.
The 2011 Lebanese protests,also known as the Intifada of Dignity or Uprising of Dignity were seen as influenced by the Arab Spring. The main protests focused on calls for political reform especially against confessionalism in Lebanon. The protests initiated in early 2011,and dimmed by the end of the year. In another aspect of the Arab Spring,Lebanese pro and anti-Assad factions descended into sectarian violence,which culminated in May–June 2012.
The formation of a new government led by Najib Mikati follows five months of negotiations after the fall of the Saad Hariri government. Mikati formed a controversial 30-minister cabinet. Following ruptures and tensions and two previous threats to resign,Mikati finally resigned on 23 March 2013. Tammam Salam was tasked to form a new government on 6 April 2013.
Mohammad Safadi is a Lebanese businessman who served as minister of finance under Najib Mikati between 2011 and 2014. He was also the minister of economy and trade from 2008 to 2011.
Ali Al Shami is a Shia Lebanese academic and a member of the Amal movement. He was Lebanon's minister of foreign affairs and emigrants from 2009 to 2011.
Wissam Adnan al-Hassan was a brigadier general at the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the head of its intelligence-oriented Information Branch. Seen as a leading Sunni figure in Lebanon,he was also a key player in the opposition March 14 alliance without having a political position.
Hassan Diab is a Lebanese academic,engineer and politician who served as the prime minister of Lebanon from 21 January 2020 to 10 September 2021. He was appointed by President Michel Aoun in 2019 to succeed Saad Hariri as prime minister. He submitted his resignation on 10 August 2020 in wake of the 2020 Beirut explosion and served as caretaker prime minister until Najib Mikati formed a new government on 10 September 2021. Prior to his premiership,he served as the minister of education from June 2011 to February 2014 under President Michel Suleiman.
Tammam Saeb Salam is a Lebanese politician who was the Prime Minister of Lebanon from February 2014 until December 2016. He also served as the acting President of Lebanon from May 2014 until October 2016 in his capacity as prime minister. He previously served in the government of Lebanon as minister of culture from 2008 to 2009.
The formation of a new government led by Tammam Salam followed two weeks of negotiations after the resignation of Najib Mikati's government. Salam's candidacy was backed by the March 14 Alliance,the Progressive Socialist Party,Najib Mikati and the Amal Movement.
