BEIRUT–The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee of Lebanon expressed “regret" over recent allegation by the former Lebanese President Amin Jemayel of vote rigging during Sunday’s parliamentary elections, during which his opponent Camile Khoury claimed victory in the Metn district.
The ARF said the electoral process for a parliament seat "has turned into attempts to settle scores with a party that has not known extremism."
The ARF statement denounced "the irresponsible announcemen’s that aim at harming the Armenian people’s reputation, especially the ARF."
The ARF added that "the tense and irrational statemen’s that were delivered by some Lebanese leaders are an outrage, which highlighted the truth of hatred that they have harbored for decades, and once they lost their nerves, they clearly revealed this hatred."
The statement also noted that the recent elections gave rise to the fact that the attempts to which all capabilities were employed to limit the role of the ARF in Lebanese political life and inside the Armenian community "have failed."
A statement by the Popular Bloc has also denounced "the intense campaign of hatred being launched by some people against the Lebanese citizens of Armenian origin."
"The insolence of this calculated campaign reached a point where it called upon the Army Command to declare a state of emergency in the area of Bourdj Hammoud and Al-Nab’ah to arrest the leaders of the ARF, after labeling it with the most ugly and regrettable names," said the Popular Bloc statement.
In response to former Lebanese president Jemayel’s allegations that the Armenian community in Lebanon rigged the parliamentary elections the Metn district, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, said in a statement that no one should allow himself to attack the honor of the Armenian community.
"We understand that some tense and sometimes harmful statemen’s were made during and after elections; however, we do not accept at all the unfounded accusations and offensive commen’s leveled against the Armenian community. Everyone knows the history of the Armenian people in Lebanon and its national posturing. The Armenian community is the epitome of Lebanese nationalism."
The Catholicos called for all to "stay away from harmful statemen’s and open a new chapter in the life of Christians, a chapter characterized by dialogue and mutual understanding, in which church plays an important role."
"Internal Christian understanding is the heart and mainstay of Christian-Muslim coexistence as well as Lebanon’s unity and strength," added the Catholicos.