BEIRUT, JUNE 9, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. Parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon on June 7, which ended by the victory of the leading bloc of the country March 14. According to the preliminary data, pro-western March 14 bloc took 70 of 128 seats of Lebanese parliament keeping the majority. According to the Masis weekly, the March 8 movement, which led the pro-Iranian and pro-Syrian Hisb Alah party, was defeated. Armenian parties running for the elections were also divided into these two fronts. The Social-Democratic Hnchakian and Ramkavar Azatakan parties ran for the elections as a member of March 14, and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation as a member of March 8. The March 14 forces took all five seats of the capital of Lebanon Beirut's first electoral district. In this electoral district in the struggle carried out for two Armenian seats Serge Tursargisian nominated from the Hnchakian party defeated the ARFD candidate Greguar Galust, and Jan Oghasapian nominated from the Ramkavar party defeated ARFD candidate Vrej Sapunjian. Hnchakian party candidate Sepuh Galpagian and ARFD candidate Artur Nazarian won at Beirut's second electoral district having no competitor. In Metny region, which includes Burj Hamud's Armenian districts, the only nominated candidate from ARFD, Hakob Bagratunian was elected. In Zahle electoral district, which included Armenian Aynchar village, the representatives of March 14 again won, and in the struggle for the only Armenian seat Nshan Chinchinian, who has the support of the Hnchakian party, defeated the present member of parliament, ARFD member George Qasarji. Thus, two of six seats intended for Armenians at the parliament of Lebanon fell to the Hnchakian party, two to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, one to the Ramkavar party and one to non-partisan Nshan Chinchinian.

---