Lyudmila Sargsyan: Hunchakian Party will form part of ANC as before

January 9, 2010 - 16:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net -
Yerevan hosted Saturday the 7th session of Social-Democrat Hunchakian party. Members of all parties belonging to Armenian National Congress (ANC), as well as actors Yervand Manaryan, Ashot Adamyan and Armenia's ex-President Levon Ter-Petrossian.

Discussion was also attended by 50 delegates representing the local cells of Hunchakian party, who will elect a party leader and a central management body.

Hunchakian party leader Lyudmila Sargsyan delivered a speech, expressing conviction that certain members' recent attempts to split the party were not crowned with success. "Hunchakian Party will form part of ANC as before, thus contributing to the reinstatement of constitutional order and democracy in the country," she noted.

According to her, Armenia has lost its sovereignty and is now "governed by a police regime".

The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party

The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party is one of the oldest political parties in Armenia and the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia in the 1880s. It was founded in 1887 by Avetis Nazarbekian, Mariam Vardanian, Ruben Khan-Azat and others, who studied in Geneva, Switzerland, with the goal to gain Armenia's independence from the Ottoman Empire, which is part of Armenian national liberation movement Its name, taken from its newspaper Hunchak, means "Bell" in English, and is taken by party members to represent "awakening, enlightenment, and freedom."

Hunchak party fought many battles against the Ottoman Empire, to free the Armenian people from Turkish rule. One of Armenia's famous national heroes Andranik Ozanian, at first, joined the Hunchak party, but disagreement with party policies led Andranik to leave the Hunchak ranks and join the Dashnak party.

The party also played role in establishment of Democratic Republic of Armenia, as party members took part in the Battle of Sardarapat, during the World War I at Caucasus Campaign, which defended the Armenian capital of Yerevan from Army of Islam of Ottoman Empire.

In the early 1990s, it took part in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

This party is operates branches in United States, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Armenia, Egypt, Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, Australia, Britain, France, Cyprus etc.

It was also active in Lebanon, where it competes for the six National Assembly seats reserved for ethnic Armenians.
In Armenia it forms part of opposition bloc. Party member Yeghia Jerjerian is a member of Lebanese parliament.

The Hunchakian party has established affiliate organizations such as the AEBU which is an organization that helps with educational, health and social care, the Armenian Dkhrouhi Youth Association and HMM (Homenmen) which is a sporting organization (not to be confused with Homenetmen).