Beirut I (1960)

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Beirut I electoral district 1960-1972 Beirut I (1960-1972 electoral district).png
Beirut I electoral district 1960–1972

Beirut I was a parliamentary constituency in Lebanon. It covered six neighbourhoods (quartiers) of the capital; Achrafieh, Medawar, Minet El Hosn, Port, Rmeil and Saifi. [1] It elected eight Christian parliamentarians; three Armenian Orthodox, one Armenian Catholic, one Protestant, one Maronite, one Greek Orthodox and one Greek Catholic. [2] This constituency was used in the 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 elections.

Lebanon Country in Western Asia

Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus is west across the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At just 10,452 km2, it is the smallest recognized sovereign state on the mainland Asian continent.

Achrafieh quarter of Beirut

Achrafieh also spelled Ashrafieh and Ashrafiyeh, is one of the oldest districts of Beirut, Lebanon.

The Port of Beirut is the main port in Lebanon located on the eastern part of the Saint George Bay on Beirut's northern Mediterranean coast, west of the Beirut River. It is one of the largest and busiest ports on the Eastern Mediterranean. The Port of Beirut and Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport are the main ports of entry into the country.

Contents

1960 Election Law

The constituency was established as part of the 1960 Election Law. [3] [2] In the 1957 parliamentary election Beirut had been divided into two constituencies. Achrafieh, Rmeil and Saifi had been part of the Christian-dominated first district, whilst Medawar, Minet El Hosn and Port had been part of the predominantly Muslim second district. [4] The issue of the delimitations of the Beirut constituencies had been contested, but an agreement between Christian and Muslim leaders was reached on February 23, 1960, by which there was agreement that Beirut I would be assigned eight Christian seats. The Election Law was passed in April 1960. [2]

General elections were held in Lebanon between 9 and 23 June 1957. Independent candidates won the majority of seats. Voter turnout was 53.2%.

Demographics

On April 4, 1960 the census office published a voters list, which stated that Beirut I had 21,600 Armenian Orthodox registered voters, 16,459 Greek Orthodox, 13,654 Maronites, 8,861 Sunni Muslims, 7,403 Armenian Catholics, 5,121 Jews, 5,059 Greek Catholic, 3,161 Protestants, 2,702 Syriac Catholics, 2,200 Shia Muslims, 1,117 Latin Catholics, 748 Chaldeans, 460 Syriac Orthodox, 152 Druze and 180 persons belonging to other religious groups. [1] [2] Minet El Hosn hosted the majority of the Jewish community in Lebanon. [1]

As of April 1972 it was estimated that Beirut I had 32,190 Armenian Orthodox voters, 16,709 Greek Orthodox, 13,899 Maronites, 8,046 Greek Catholics, 6,573 Sunni Muslims, 5,352 Armenian Catholics, 3,558 Jews, 3,082 Syriac Catholics, 2,749 Armenian Protestants, 2,070 Latin Catholics and 1,831 Shia Muslims. [5]

Members of Parliament elected from Beirut I

Armenian
Orthodox		Armenian
Catholic		ProtestantMaroniteGreek
Orthodox		Greek
Catholic
1960 Movses Der Kaloustuan Khatchig Babikian Souren Khanamiriab Joseph Chader Charles Saad Pierre Gemayel Fouad BoutrosAntoine Sehnawi
1964 Movses Der KaloustuanKhatchig BabikianSouren KhanamiriabJoseph ChaderCharles SaadPierre GemayelFouad BoutrosAntoine Sehnawi
1968 Movses Der KaloustuanKhatchig BabikianSouren KhanamiriabJoseph ChaderSamir IshaqPierre Gemayel Michel Georges Sassine Nasri Maalouf
1972 Melkon EblighatianKhatchig BabikianSouren KhanamiriabJoseph ChaderAntranig ManoukianPierre GemayelMichel Georges SassineNasri Maalouf

1960 election

In the 1960 general election there were two main lists in Beirut I. The election was won by the People's List, a joint list of the Kataeb Party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The main challenger had been the National Front list headed by Pierre Eddé. [6]

General elections were held in Lebanon between 12 June and 2 July 1960. Independent candidates won the majority of seats. Voter turnout was 50.7%.

Kataeb Party political party in Lebanon

The Lebanese Phalanges Party, better known in English as the Phalange, is a Christian Democratic political party in Lebanon. Despite being officially secular, it is supported mainly by Maronite Catholics. The party played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90). In decline in the late 1980s and 1990s, the party slowly re-emerged in the early 2000s. It is now part of the March 14 Alliance.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation political party founded in 1890

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), also known as Dashnaktsutyun, is an Armenian nationalist and socialist political party founded in 1890 in Tiflis, Russian Empire by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian. Today the party operates in Armenia, Artsakh and in countries where the Armenian diaspora is present. Nowadays it constitutes a minor party, and as of December 2018 was represented in two national parliaments with 7 seats in the National Assembly of Artsakh and three seats in the Parliament of Lebanon as part of the March 8 alliance.

1964 election

In a surprise move ahead of the 1964 general election, Camille Chamoun withdrew his candidates from Beirut I. [7] In the end, all candidates of the Kataeb-Armenian Revolutionary Federation 'People's List' were elected unopposed. [8]

General elections were held in Lebanon between 5 April and 3 May 1964. Independent candidates won the majority of seats. Voter turnout was 53.0%.

Camille Chamoun Lebanese politician

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 (1975–1990).

1968 election

During the 1968 general election the electoral district had 98,439 eligible voters, out of whom 28,631 voted (29.59 percent, the lowest turn-out of all constituencies). [9] [10] [11] The elections in Beirut I passed smoothly without violent incidents. [9] The four Armenian parliamentarians were elected unopposed. [9] Pierre Gemayel won the Maronite seat and his fellow Kataeb member Samir Ishaq won the Protestant seat. [9] [12] Michel Georges Sassine won the Greek Orthodox seat whilst and the Greek Catholic on Sassine's list Nasri Maalouf was also elected. [9]

1972 election

In the 1972 general election, the last election to be held before the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War, all candidates of the Kataeb-Armenian Revolutionary Federation-National Liberal list were elected. The main contender had been the Protestant candidate Tony Saad, who mustered 10,778 votes. 33.9 percent of the registered voters cast their ballots. [13]

After the Civil War, a new set-up of constituencies was used ahead of the 1992 general election abolishing the 1960 Election Law constituencies. [14]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 161
  2. 1 2 3 4 Yitzhak Oron, Ed. Middle East Record Volume 1, 1960. The Moshe Dayan Center. pp. 349–351. GGKEY:3KXGTYPACX2.
  3. ↑ Michael C. Hudson; Leonard Binder; Harvard University. Center for International Affairs (May 1985). The precarious republic: political modernization in Lebanon. Westview Press. p. 250. ISBN   978-0-8133-0105-1.
  4. ↑ Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 135
  5. ↑ Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 255
  6. ↑ Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 169–171, 185
  7. ↑ Kulliyah. 40. Alumni Association of the American University of Beirut. 1964. p. 5.
  8. ↑ Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 199–200
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Zuwiyya, Jalal. The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968 . Leiden: Brill, 1972. pp. 13–17
  10. ↑ Zuwiyya, Jalal. The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968 . Leiden: Brill, 1972. p. 100
  11. ↑ Ḥevrah ha-Mizraḥit ha-Yiśreʼelit, Merkaz le-meḥḳar ʻal shem Reʼuven Shiloaḥ, and Mekhon Shiloaḥ le-ḥeḳer ha-Mizraḥ ha-tikhon ṿe-Afriḳah. Middle East Record . Tel Aviv: Israel Oriental Society, Reuven Shiloah Research Center, 1968. pp. 637
  12. ↑ Entelis, John P. Pluralism and Party Transformation in Lebanon. Al-Kataʼib, 1936–1970 . Leiden: Brill, 1974. p. 91
  13. ↑ Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 255–256
  14. ↑ Imad Salamey (15 October 2013). The Government and Politics of Lebanon. Routledge. pp. 74–75, 112–113. ISBN   978-1-135-01133-8.
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