LF, MARCH 14 ARMENIANS ENGAGE INTO EARLY BATTLE IN BEIRUT

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15/04/2009

The electoral battle seems to have already started in Lebanon’s
capital, Beirut…

Indeed, and in contrast with other districts, the Armenians are
preparing for a fierce "battle" in Beirut-1 district…

Here, the main battle doesn’t seem to erupt between the two main rival
blocs but even in the same bloc, that seems to be always undecided
on its "final" candidate…

Indeed, everything was normal and the March 14 Armenians were
enthusiastic to engage into the battle until… Lebanese Forces chief
Samir Geagea decided, without prior notice, to nominate one of his
partisans for Beirut’s Armenian seat.

MP Serge Tor Sarkissian, believed to be the March 14 "official"
candidate for the seat was shocked by his ally’s step… Yet,
negotiations seemed to reach a deadlock instead of a consensus at
the moment after the LF insisted that the nominations it has already
declared were "final," and therefore not subject for change..

But, the question that’s raised in the Armenian circles, especially
after the Lebanese Forces surprising nomination of an Armenian, is
‘who’s really eligible to nominate Armenian candidates?’

Al-Manar spoke to some of the Armenian electors in a bid to find an
appropriate answer for the question. "The Tashnag party is our true rep
resentative, the other parties constitute all together a minority,"
one of the Armenians living in Beirut said. Another went on to say
that the Tashnag party is actually the major player in the Armenian
scene, enjoying an overwhelming ratio of popularity.

For his part, the Tashnag candidate in Beirut Gregoire Kamost spoke to
Al-Manar, expressing his satisfaction with the preparation. Kamost, who
doesn’t know his final competitor yet due to the loyalty’s conflicts,
noted that the essential for his party was the Armenians’ unity,
a goal that his party would do its best to achieve. He said that,
regardless of political affiliations, Armenians are in their majority
unified with a transparent and obvious political tendency.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea met on Wednesday with a
delegation from the Ramgavar party in Maarab to discuss the general
domestic situation, the upcoming parliamentary elections and the
importance of cooperation in the March 14 alliance. The Armenian
party’s delegation included MP Hagop Kassarjian, Ramgavar leader
Odyss Dakssian, the leader’s deputy Wiscan Jamknoyan, and the party’s
secretary, Herar Hovivian. The delegation informed Geagea that it was
"committed to the decision of the Armenian forces in March 14."