Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Lebanon
Encyclopedia
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF or ՀՅԴ) ( — Hay Heghapokhagan Tashnagtsutiun or Hay Heghapokhakan Dashnaktsutyun, — Tashnag or Dashnak) (in Arabic
الإتحاد الثوري الأرمني - الطاشناق) is an Armenian political party
very active in Lebanon since the 1920s as an official political party in the country after having started with small student cells in the late 1890s and early 1900s.
The party is considered to have the biggest political support in the Lebanese Armenian community and is presently part of the March 8 Alliance
in Lebanon.
(Tbilisi in modern day Georgia
) in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian
, Stepan Zorian
, and Simon Zavarian
.
The party operates in Armenia
and in countries where the Armenian diaspora
is present, notably in Lebanon
where the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is considered the strongest political party within the Lebanese-Armenian community. The party adheres to
socialism
and is part of the Socialist International
.
during the Ottoman Empire
(end of 19th century and end of World War I) through Armenian students registered to study in Beirut colleges and universities during the Ottoman rule in Lebanon.
during World War I
.
From 1923 to 1958, conflicts erupted among the three traditional Armenian political parties (the Tashnags, the Hunchaks and the Ramgavars) struggling to dominate and organize the diaspora.
The party had media presence very early on with the short-lived "Pyunig" newspaper published in Beirut in general reflecting the views of the party. The Aztag
daily replaced Pyunig and started publication on March 5, 1927 in Beirut, Lebanon. It is the official party organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Lebanese Central Committee and considered one of the biggest dailies of the Armenian diaspora
.
in 1952, the seat in Antelias remained vacant for nearly four years. In 1956, Archbishop Zareh Payaslian was consecrated Catholicos of Cilicia as Zareh I
despite the opposition of Catholicos of Echmiadzin of All Armenians Catholicos Vazgen I
who refused to recognize his authority considering Zareh I's choice as partisan. This controversy greatly polarized the Armenian community of Lebanon. The regime of the Lebanese President Camille Chamoun
in support of Zareh I served to polarize the situation further.
With failure of all mediation, and in the context of the Lebanese civil strife of 1958
, an armed conflict erupted within the Lebanese community as well, between supporters of Catholicos Zareh I (mainly adhering to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation) and the opponents of Zareh I mainly adhering to the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
(Hunchakians) and Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars), with the two latter parties supporting the positions of the Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I
and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia.
The situation developed into armed confrontations and various shootings and killings between the different groups resulting in a big rift within the Armenian Apostolic Church
in Lebanon and worldwide. The conflicts calmed down after 1958 with the establishment of the regime of President Fouad Chehab in Lebanon.
and at a later stage with the Tripartite Alliance (in Arabic
الحلف الثلاثي) made up of the Maronite Christian leaders Camille Chamoun
, Pierre Gemayel
and Raymond Edde
.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation generally ran joint election tickets with the Phalangists, especially in Beirut
and Metn
constituencies with large Armenian populations and reserved Armenian seats according to the confessional division of electoral districts. securing all Armenian Parliamentary seats in Beirut and the Metn in 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 parliamentary elections.
The official ARF party journal Droshak resumed publication in Beirut
in 1969 and continued until 1985, when the party organ moved to Athens
, Greece
because of the security situation in Lebanon.
, and declared what became known as "positive neutrality" (in Arabic الحياد الإيجابي; in Armenian Դրական Չէզոքութիւն) of the Armenians between the various Lebanese factions. This position was prompted by the ARF trying to avoid an inter-Armenian conflict after the 1956–1958 incidents. Thus the Armenian regions were somewhat spared from a devastating conflict, although they continued to suffer from shellings and various military conflicts in Nabaa, Karantina and the Syrian intervention.
But ARF and the general Armenian consensus neutral position and refusal to ally openly with the right-wing Christian forces soured the long-standing relations between the ARF and the Phalangist party, and more particularly the Lebanese Forces
(a militia dominated by Phalangists and commanded by Bachir Gemayel
, Pierre Gemayel's son). The Lebanese Forces responded by attacking the Armenian quarters of many Lebanese towns, including Bourj Hammoud
. In addition, the statue dedicated to the Armenian Genocide and located in Bikfaya was also targeted by a bombing by pro-Lebanese Forces elements.
Many Armenians affiliated with the ARF took up arms to defend their quarters. In an ensuing onslaught, the Lebanese Forces closed outposts of the party in various regions that had been created for keeping the peace in the predominantly Armenian regions during the Civil War. After things calmed down, mediations resulted in the ARF party continuing its control of the Armenian districts with a lower key operation and presence in agreement with Christian leadership of the country.
In the midst of the Lebanese civil war, and in a surge of retaliation against Turkish targets worldwide led by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA)
, another guerrilla organization called Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide (JCAG)
emerged and carried out a string of its own assassinations and operations from 1975 to 1983. The guerrilla organization has sometimes been linked to the Tashnags.
are allocated six seats in Lebanon's 128-member National Assembly. The Lebanese branch of the ARF has usually controlled a majority of the Armenian vote and won most of the ethnic Armenian seats in the National Assembly,
A major change however occurred in the parliamentary election of 2000. Negotiations to form a joint ticket between the ARF and the Karama (Dignity) party of Rafik Hariri
broke down over Hariri's insistence that all candidates elected on his list, including ARF candidates, would have to form subsequently a unified parliamentary block subsequently—a rarity in Lebanese politics
. This would effectively make the Armenian vote in the Chamber subservient to Hariri's wishes and practically dissolve "The Armenian Bloc" in the Lebanese Parliament
. In addition, Hariri refused the ARF proposal to choose an Armenian candidate for the sole seat allocated to Lebanon's Evangelical community (many of whom are ethnically Armenian), insisting that the seat should go to an ally of his. The ARF decided to go it alone, although the other Armenian parties, namely Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
(Hunchakians) and Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars) joined Hariri's list. In an unprecedented sweep, the Dignity movement and its allies captured 13 of Beirut's 19 seats, and the ARF was left with only one parliamentary seat in the Metn district in alliance with Michel Murr
, its worst result in many decades of Parliamentary representation. It was also the first time ever that the Huntchakian and Rangavar parties gained seats in the Parliament.
In the 2005 elections, the ARF called for a boycott of the elections in Beirut, disturbed that the four seats normally reserved for Beirut's large Armenian community had again gone unopposed to Hariri's candidates and his Hunchakian and Ramgavar allies plus some independent Armenian candidates.
The ARF currently holds one seat through its MP Hagop Pakradounian
from the Metn district
that includes Bourj Hamoud heavily populated by Armenians.
The ARF has generally avoided entanglement in sensitive domestic issues, usually supporting whichever government has been in power. However, the ARF harshly criticized the Lebanese government's decision in 2006 to invite the deployment of Turkish troops as part of the multilateral United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
(UNIFIL) peacekeeping force.
On August 5, 2007, a by-election took place in the Metn district, to replace the slain anti-Syrian minister Pierre Gemayel
, the ARF decided to support Camille Khoury
, the candidate backed by opposition leader Michel Aoun
's Free Patriotic Movement
. Camille Khoury faced off against Phalangist leader Amine Gemayel
and subsequently won the seat. Government supporters blamed Gemayel's loss on the Armenians. Amine Gemayel accused the ARF of cheating and called for the ballot in Bourj Hammoud to be cancelled. Gemayel said that he had fared better "among Christians" and accused the Dashnaktsutyun of trying to "impose its will on the people of Metn", implying that the Armenians were neither proper Lebanese nor true Christians. Lebanese politician Gabriel Murr
accused the ARF of rigging the vote as "they always do". Murr pointed out that Aoun didn't win the Maronite
vote but that he had won the Armenian vote, which was included in the Metn district to manipulate the electoral results. Hagop Pakradounian
, a leader of the ARF in Lebanon, and the Armenian Deputies Bloc asked for a public apology. Pakradounian and the Armenian Deputies Bloc called comments made by Amine Gemayel and Gabriel Murr over the Armenian community's support for the Free Patriotic Movement condemned these declarations.
The current ARF Central Committee Chairperson in Lebanon is Mr. Hovig Mkhitarian. The ARF Lebanon branch is headquartered in Bourj Hammoud in the Shaghzoian Centre, along with the ARF Lebanon Central Committee's Aztag Daily newspaper and "Voice Of Van" 24-hour radio station.
After failure to come to a consensus with the Hariri camp, part of the March 14 Alliance
, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation has decided to become officially part of the March 8 Alliance
since its formation in 2005. March 8 Alliance is made up of the Free Patriotic Movement
and "Change and Reform Bloc" (headed by Michel Aoun
), by Amal Movement
, Hezbollah and other smaller factions as well as the ARF. The March 8 Alliance formed the official opposition to the March 14 Alliance
government headed by the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
and consequently by Prime Minister Saad Hariri
. ARF's position was in sharp contrast to Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
(Hunchakians) and Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars) who remained part of the March 14 Alliance.
After six years in opposition (2005 until January 2011), and with the joining of the Progressive Socialist Party
headed by Walid Jumblatt
to the opposition March 8 Alliance
, the latter has attained the majority in January 2011 to form the next Lebanese government.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
(ARF or ՀՅԴ) ( — Hay Heghapokhagan Tashnagtsutiun or Hay Heghapokhakan Dashnaktsutyun, — Tashnag or Dashnak) (in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
الإتحاد الثوري الأرمني - الطاشناق) is an Armenian political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
very active in Lebanon since the 1920s as an official political party in the country after having started with small student cells in the late 1890s and early 1900s.
The party is considered to have the biggest political support in the Lebanese Armenian community and is presently part of the March 8 Alliance
March 8 Alliance
The March 8 Alliance is a coalition of various political parties in Lebanon. It has been the ruling coalition since January 25, 2011 when the alliance managed to nominate Najib Mikati as the new prime minister.-History:...
in Lebanon.
History
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation was founded in TiflisTbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
(Tbilisi in modern day Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
) in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian
Christapor Mikaelian
Christapor Mikaelian also known by his noms de guerre Hellen , Topal , and Edward , was one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation along Stepan Zorian and Simon Zavarian, also part of Armenian national liberation movement.- Early life :Christapor Mikaelian was born in the...
, Stepan Zorian
Stepan Zorian
300px|thumb|RosdomStepan Zorian better known by his nom de guerre Rosdom , was one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation along Christapor Mikaelian and Simon Zavarian, also part of Armenian national liberation movement.- Founding of the ARF :Rosdom was born in the village...
, and Simon Zavarian
Simon Zavarian
250px|thumb|Simon ZavarianSimon Zavarian, also known by his nom de guerre Anton , was one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and part of Armenian national liberation movement, along Kristapor Mikaelian and Stepan Zorian.- Role in the founding of the ARF :Simon Zavarian...
.
The party operates in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and in countries where the Armenian diaspora
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia and self proclaimed de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...
is present, notably in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
where the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is considered the strongest political party within the Lebanese-Armenian community. The party adheres to
socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and is part of the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
.
19th century until 1918
The party became initially active in LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
during the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(end of 19th century and end of World War I) through Armenian students registered to study in Beirut colleges and universities during the Ottoman rule in Lebanon.
1920s to 1950s
The party also gained many members with the increasing waves of Armenian immigrants flooding into Lebanon in the early 1920s fleeing the Armenian GenocideArmenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
From 1923 to 1958, conflicts erupted among the three traditional Armenian political parties (the Tashnags, the Hunchaks and the Ramgavars) struggling to dominate and organize the diaspora.
The party had media presence very early on with the short-lived "Pyunig" newspaper published in Beirut in general reflecting the views of the party. The Aztag
Aztag Daily Newspaper
The Aztag Daily Newspaper is the official newspaper of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Lebanon. The present Editor in Chief is Shahan Kandaharian.The Aztag Daily started publication on March 5, 1927 in Beirut, Lebanon...
daily replaced Pyunig and started publication on March 5, 1927 in Beirut, Lebanon. It is the official party organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Lebanese Central Committee and considered one of the biggest dailies of the Armenian diaspora
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia and self proclaimed de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...
.
Civil strife 1956-1958
After the death of Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia Karekin IKarekin I (Cilicia)
His Holiness Karekin I was Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church from 1943-1952.Born Garegin Hovsepian and originally from Artsakh, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1909...
in 1952, the seat in Antelias remained vacant for nearly four years. In 1956, Archbishop Zareh Payaslian was consecrated Catholicos of Cilicia as Zareh I
Zareh I
His Holiness Zareh I Payaslian was Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church from 1956 to 1963....
despite the opposition of Catholicos of Echmiadzin of All Armenians Catholicos Vazgen I
Vazgen I
His Holiness Vazgen I was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1955 and 1994, in one of the longest reigns of the Armenian Catholicoi. A native of Romania, he began his career as a philosopher, before becoming a Doctor of Theology and a member of the local Armenian clergy...
who refused to recognize his authority considering Zareh I's choice as partisan. This controversy greatly polarized the Armenian community of Lebanon. The regime of the Lebanese President Camille Chamoun
Camille Chamoun
Camille Nimr Chamoun was President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958, and one of the country's main Christian leaders during most of the Lebanese Civil War ....
in support of Zareh I served to polarize the situation further.
With failure of all mediation, and in the context of the Lebanese civil strife of 1958
Lebanon crisis of 1958
The 1958 Lebanon crisis was a Lebanese political crisis caused by political and religious tensions in the country. It included a U.S. military intervention.-Background:...
, an armed conflict erupted within the Lebanese community as well, between supporters of Catholicos Zareh I (mainly adhering to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation) and the opponents of Zareh I mainly adhering to the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party , is the oldest of the Armenian political parties and was the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia...
(Hunchakians) and Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars), with the two latter parties supporting the positions of the Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I
Vazgen I
His Holiness Vazgen I was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1955 and 1994, in one of the longest reigns of the Armenian Catholicoi. A native of Romania, he began his career as a philosopher, before becoming a Doctor of Theology and a member of the local Armenian clergy...
and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia.
The situation developed into armed confrontations and various shootings and killings between the different groups resulting in a big rift within the Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
in Lebanon and worldwide. The conflicts calmed down after 1958 with the establishment of the regime of President Fouad Chehab in Lebanon.
1960s to 1975
Politically the party remained allied with the Phalangist Party of Pierre GemayelPierre Gemayel
Sheikh Pierre Gemayel , was a Lebanese political leader...
and at a later stage with the Tripartite Alliance (in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
الحلف الثلاثي) made up of the Maronite Christian leaders Camille Chamoun
Camille Chamoun
Camille Nimr Chamoun was President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958, and one of the country's main Christian leaders during most of the Lebanese Civil War ....
, Pierre Gemayel
Pierre Gemayel
Sheikh Pierre Gemayel , was a Lebanese political leader...
and Raymond Edde
Raymond Edde
Raymond Eddé was a Lebanese statesman who served his country for many years as a legislator and cabinet minister. He led the Lebanese National Bloc, an influential political party. The son of former President Émile Eddé, Raymond Eddé was himself a candidate for the presidency in 1958, and was...
.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation generally ran joint election tickets with the Phalangists, especially in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Metn
Matn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
constituencies with large Armenian populations and reserved Armenian seats according to the confessional division of electoral districts. securing all Armenian Parliamentary seats in Beirut and the Metn in 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 parliamentary elections.
The official ARF party journal Droshak resumed publication in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
in 1969 and continued until 1985, when the party organ moved to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
because of the security situation in Lebanon.
1975 Lebanese Civil War until 2000
The ARF (Tashnag), along with most other Armenian groups, refused to take sides between the warring Lebanese factions or to play an active military role in the Lebanese Civil WarLebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
, and declared what became known as "positive neutrality" (in Arabic الحياد الإيجابي; in Armenian Դրական Չէզոքութիւն) of the Armenians between the various Lebanese factions. This position was prompted by the ARF trying to avoid an inter-Armenian conflict after the 1956–1958 incidents. Thus the Armenian regions were somewhat spared from a devastating conflict, although they continued to suffer from shellings and various military conflicts in Nabaa, Karantina and the Syrian intervention.
But ARF and the general Armenian consensus neutral position and refusal to ally openly with the right-wing Christian forces soured the long-standing relations between the ARF and the Phalangist party, and more particularly the Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces
The Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese political party. Founded as a militia by Bachir Gemayel during the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as the main militia within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front...
(a militia dominated by Phalangists and commanded by Bachir Gemayel
Bachir Gemayel
Bachir Gemayel was a Lebanese politician, militia commander, and president-elect...
, Pierre Gemayel's son). The Lebanese Forces responded by attacking the Armenian quarters of many Lebanese towns, including Bourj Hammoud
Bourj Hammoud
Bourj Hammoud is a suburb in North-East Beirut, Lebanon in the Metn district. The suburb is heavily populated by Armenians as it is where most survivors of the Armenian Genocide settled...
. In addition, the statue dedicated to the Armenian Genocide and located in Bikfaya was also targeted by a bombing by pro-Lebanese Forces elements.
Many Armenians affiliated with the ARF took up arms to defend their quarters. In an ensuing onslaught, the Lebanese Forces closed outposts of the party in various regions that had been created for keeping the peace in the predominantly Armenian regions during the Civil War. After things calmed down, mediations resulted in the ARF party continuing its control of the Armenian districts with a lower key operation and presence in agreement with Christian leadership of the country.
In the midst of the Lebanese civil war, and in a surge of retaliation against Turkish targets worldwide led by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA)
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia or ASALA was an Armenian nationalist militant organization, that operated from 1975 to 1986. The group also operated under other names such as The Orly Group and the 3 October Organization...
, another guerrilla organization called Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide (JCAG)
Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide
Justice Commandos against Armenian Genocide was a secret military organization that operated in various western nations from 1975 to 1987...
emerged and carried out a string of its own assassinations and operations from 1975 to 1983. The guerrilla organization has sometimes been linked to the Tashnags.
21st century
Ethnic ArmeniansArmenians of Lebanon
The Armenians in Lebanon are Lebanese citizens of Armenian descent. There has been an Armenian presence in Lebanon for centuries. While there has not been a census for a few decades, because the balance between Christians and Muslims is considered to be a volatile subject, it is estimated that...
are allocated six seats in Lebanon's 128-member National Assembly. The Lebanese branch of the ARF has usually controlled a majority of the Armenian vote and won most of the ethnic Armenian seats in the National Assembly,
A major change however occurred in the parliamentary election of 2000. Negotiations to form a joint ticket between the ARF and the Karama (Dignity) party of Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri
Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri , was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
broke down over Hariri's insistence that all candidates elected on his list, including ARF candidates, would have to form subsequently a unified parliamentary block subsequently—a rarity in Lebanese politics
Politics of Lebanon
Lebanon is a parliamentary republic within the overall framework of confessionalism, a form of consociationalism in which the highest offices are proportionately reserved for representatives from certain religious communities. The constitution grants the people the right to change their government...
. This would effectively make the Armenian vote in the Chamber subservient to Hariri's wishes and practically dissolve "The Armenian Bloc" in the Lebanese Parliament
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
. In addition, Hariri refused the ARF proposal to choose an Armenian candidate for the sole seat allocated to Lebanon's Evangelical community (many of whom are ethnically Armenian), insisting that the seat should go to an ally of his. The ARF decided to go it alone, although the other Armenian parties, namely Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party , is the oldest of the Armenian political parties and was the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia...
(Hunchakians) and Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars) joined Hariri's list. In an unprecedented sweep, the Dignity movement and its allies captured 13 of Beirut's 19 seats, and the ARF was left with only one parliamentary seat in the Metn district in alliance with Michel Murr
Michel Murr
Michel Murr is a Lebanese politician and businessman. He first occupied the post of Minister of the Interior, as well as being Deputy Prime Minister in Rafik Hariri's first cabinet in 1992 and remained in the post in all subsequent cabinets formed by Hariri, except the last one, in which his son,...
, its worst result in many decades of Parliamentary representation. It was also the first time ever that the Huntchakian and Rangavar parties gained seats in the Parliament.
In the 2005 elections, the ARF called for a boycott of the elections in Beirut, disturbed that the four seats normally reserved for Beirut's large Armenian community had again gone unopposed to Hariri's candidates and his Hunchakian and Ramgavar allies plus some independent Armenian candidates.
The ARF currently holds one seat through its MP Hagop Pakradounian
Hagop Pakradounian
Hagop Pakradounian is a Lebanese politician of Armenian descent.Hagop Pakradounian was born in Beirut, in 1956. Pakradounian, who has a degree in political science, is the current Member of Parliament representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation In the Lebanese Parliament from the Metn Region...
from the Metn district
Matn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
that includes Bourj Hamoud heavily populated by Armenians.
The ARF has generally avoided entanglement in sensitive domestic issues, usually supporting whichever government has been in power. However, the ARF harshly criticized the Lebanese government's decision in 2006 to invite the deployment of Turkish troops as part of the multilateral United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 425 and 426 on 19 March 1978, to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon which Israel had invaded five days prior, restore international peace and security,...
(UNIFIL) peacekeeping force.
On August 5, 2007, a by-election took place in the Metn district, to replace the slain anti-Syrian minister Pierre Gemayel
Pierre Amine Gemayel
Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, better known in English as the Phalange Party. Lebanon's second-youngest MP, he was a rising star in his party...
, the ARF decided to support Camille Khoury
Camille Khoury
Camille Khoury born in Lebanon is the Free Patriotic Movement representative in the Matn riding near Beirut, Lebanon. In August, 2007, Khoury was elected in Matn over former Lebanese president Amine Gemayel by a slim margin of 418 votes. The official tally was 39,534 against 39,116 for Gemayel...
, the candidate backed by opposition leader Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
's Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
. Camille Khoury faced off against Phalangist leader Amine Gemayel
Amine Gemayel
Amine Pierre Gemayel was President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988 and is the leader of Kataeb Party.Born in the Lebanese village of Bikfaya, Amine Gemayel is the son of Pierre Gemayel, founder of the Kataeb Party...
and subsequently won the seat. Government supporters blamed Gemayel's loss on the Armenians. Amine Gemayel accused the ARF of cheating and called for the ballot in Bourj Hammoud to be cancelled. Gemayel said that he had fared better "among Christians" and accused the Dashnaktsutyun of trying to "impose its will on the people of Metn", implying that the Armenians were neither proper Lebanese nor true Christians. Lebanese politician Gabriel Murr
Gabriel Murr
Gabriel Murr is a Lebanese Politician and is the owner of Murr Television and Mount Lebanon Radio Station, which were forcefully shut down in September 2002...
accused the ARF of rigging the vote as "they always do". Murr pointed out that Aoun didn't win the Maronite
Maronite Church
The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome . It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Maron, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th...
vote but that he had won the Armenian vote, which was included in the Metn district to manipulate the electoral results. Hagop Pakradounian
Hagop Pakradounian
Hagop Pakradounian is a Lebanese politician of Armenian descent.Hagop Pakradounian was born in Beirut, in 1956. Pakradounian, who has a degree in political science, is the current Member of Parliament representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation In the Lebanese Parliament from the Metn Region...
, a leader of the ARF in Lebanon, and the Armenian Deputies Bloc asked for a public apology. Pakradounian and the Armenian Deputies Bloc called comments made by Amine Gemayel and Gabriel Murr over the Armenian community's support for the Free Patriotic Movement condemned these declarations.
The current ARF Central Committee Chairperson in Lebanon is Mr. Hovig Mkhitarian. The ARF Lebanon branch is headquartered in Bourj Hammoud in the Shaghzoian Centre, along with the ARF Lebanon Central Committee's Aztag Daily newspaper and "Voice Of Van" 24-hour radio station.
After failure to come to a consensus with the Hariri camp, part of the March 14 Alliance
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as...
, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation has decided to become officially part of the March 8 Alliance
March 8 Alliance
The March 8 Alliance is a coalition of various political parties in Lebanon. It has been the ruling coalition since January 25, 2011 when the alliance managed to nominate Najib Mikati as the new prime minister.-History:...
since its formation in 2005. March 8 Alliance is made up of the Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
and "Change and Reform Bloc" (headed by Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
), by Amal Movement
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
, Hezbollah and other smaller factions as well as the ARF. The March 8 Alliance formed the official opposition to the March 14 Alliance
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as...
government headed by the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
Fouad Siniora
Fuad Siniora is a Lebanese politician, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon, a position he held from 19 July 2005 to May 25, 2008 the date of the election of the new President of Lebanon; he was renominated to the post on 28 May 2008 and held the post as Acting President between those...
and consequently by Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Saad Hariri
Saad-eddine Rafiq Al-Hariri is a Saudi-Lebanese billionaire who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 2009 until 2011. He is the second son of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister who was assassinated in 2005...
. ARF's position was in sharp contrast to Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party , is the oldest of the Armenian political parties and was the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia...
(Hunchakians) and Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars) who remained part of the March 14 Alliance.
After six years in opposition (2005 until January 2011), and with the joining of the Progressive Socialist Party
Progressive Socialist Party
The Progressive Socialist Party or PSP , also known as Parti Socialiste Progressiste in French, is a political party in Lebanon. Its current leader is Walid Jumblatt...
headed by Walid Jumblatt
Walid Jumblatt
Walid Jumblatt is a Lebanese politician and the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party . He is the most prominent leader of Lebanon's Druze community.-Family:...
to the opposition March 8 Alliance
March 8 Alliance
The March 8 Alliance is a coalition of various political parties in Lebanon. It has been the ruling coalition since January 25, 2011 when the alliance managed to nominate Najib Mikati as the new prime minister.-History:...
, the latter has attained the majority in January 2011 to form the next Lebanese government.