Armenakan-Democratic Liberal Party

This article is about the party established in 2009 in Armenia.

For party established in the 1990s in Armenia, see Democratic Liberal Party of Armenia

For the traditional party established as Armenakan Party in 1885 and reformed as Armenian Democratic Liberal Party in 1921, see Armenian Democratic Liberal Party

Armenakan-Democratic Liberal Party (Armenian: Արմենական -Ռամկավար Ազատական Կուսակցություն ) is an Armenian political party established in 2009 in Yerevan, Armenia as an off-shoot of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Armenian: Ռամկավար Ազատական Կուսակցություն ).

The Armenakan-Democratic Liberal Party held its General Constituent Conference on 19 May 2009. The conference elected a running administration presided by Armen Manvelyan as Secretary General. The conference also decided to invite to a pan-Armenian convening General Assembly scheduled in Autumn 2009. The assembly will have on its agenda the decision on "the relocation of the center of the diaspora ADL to the Republic of Armenia." A special committee was also elected to pursue the registration of the new party with the Justice Ministry of Armenia.^[1]

Delegates from both Republic of Armenia and the ADL Armenian diaspora factions held a constituent assembly to form the "Democratic Liberal Party World Council" that elected its 11-member executive committee made up of 5 members from the diaspora and 5 from the Republic of Armenia. Hakob Avetikian (Hagop Avedikian in Western Armenian), the editor in chief of Azg was appointed as the general secretary of the party. The head office will be in Yerevan. The first "Democratic Liberal Party World Council" General Assembly will be held in October 2010.

Position of ADL and ADLA regarding the Armenakan-Democratic Liberal Party

The position of the Central Committee of the official Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (ADL - Ramgavar Party) is not clear regarding the establishment of the new party, and there are signs of internal divisions whether to merge the party in the new entity or not. The Central Executive of ADL chaired by Mike Kharabian, and in Armenia the Democratic Liberal Party of Armenia (ADLA) chaired by Harutiun Arakelian have both expressed opposition and blamed the new entity of trying to divide the party.^[2] In 2008 three parties in Armenia, the National Rebirth, Dashink, and Liberal Progressive Parties dissolved into the ADLA. The last assembly of the official Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (ADL) took place in Spring 2009 in Amman, Jordan.

Harutiun Arakelian of the Democratic Liberal Party of Armenia (ADLA) has also declared that the party will challenge the adoption of the name of the new party once the latter applies for registration, due to the similarity of the names and ADLA will demand that the new party adopts a different and more distinctive name to alleviate any confusion with the ADLA.

New developments

On December 1, 2011, however, Democratic Liberal Party of Armenia signed an agreement with Armenakan-Democratic Liberal Party for launching a unification process between the two parties.

Media

Some long-running official Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (ADL) organs have, after the rift in the party and the formation of the rival Armenakan-Democratic Liberal Party, started actively supporting the new formation and in general, represent the policies of the newly formed party. Most notabe of these ADL organs are:

• Azg daily published in Yerevan, Armenia in Armenian -- recently sold to other independent owners [1]
• Armenian Mirror-Spectator, published in Watertown, Massachusetts in English [2]
• Abaka published in Montreal, Canada in Armenian, English and French)

The rest of the official ADL organs still, in general, reflect the line of the earlier ADL party, most notaby Zartonk in Beirut, Lebanon, Arev in Cairo, Egypt, Nor Or in Altadena, California, USA, Sardarabad in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Nor Ashkharh in Athens, Greece.

References