AZG Armenian Daily #090, 20/05/2005
Diaspora
LEBANON FACING UNPRECEDENTED PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Situation in Lebanon after the Cedar Revolution has got tense as
the country stands on threshold of parliamentary elections. As
it is known, revolution followed former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri’s assassination. The Hariri family spearheading now the
Lebanese opposition managed to render the electoral law to the
resolution of 2000. According to the law, a person may be elected
deputy of the Lebanese Parliament by the votes of all communities
and confessions. That is the constituencies are to be formed
administratively without allowing for the location of national
communities. These days, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun protested against this and decided to boycott elections
in Beirut constituency where ARF members Stepan Ter-Petrosian and
Jacques Chukhatrian are running. ARF Dashnaktsutyun having supervised
the elections of Armenian deputies for 50 years, by the law of 2000,
which allows Armenians to be elected by Muslims or Druze community,
is losing control in fact. Late Rafik Hariri’s electoral roll
including Armenian candidates Hakob Gasartchian, Yeghia Jerejian,
Jean Oghasabian, Serge Tursargisian and Antoine Nshanakian still has
high hopes to form majority in the parliament. Rafik Hariri himself
had irreconcilable relations with ARF.
Christian Maronite leader in the region of Metni, Nesib Lahud,
proposed communist Raffi Madeyan’s candidacy who is put to fight
candidate from Dashnaktsutyun minister Sepuh Hovnanian.
By Hamo Moskofian in Beirut