Beirut I () is an electoral district in Lebanon. The district elects eight members of the Lebanese National Assembly – three Armenian Orthodox, one Armenian Catholic, one Greek Catholic, one Greek Orthodox, one Maronite and one Minorities.
The Beirut I electoral district covers four quartiers (neighbourhoods) of the Lebanese capital: Achrafieh, Saifi, Rmeil and Medawar.Table Attached to Law 44 dated 17/6/2017 (Official Gazette no.27 dated 17 June 2017) – Distribution of Seats to the Confessions and Districts ACE Project The area is predominately Christian; the largest community in the Beirut I electorate are Armenian Orthodox (28.33%).دائرة بيروت الاولى . AnnaharErmeni Haber. Beyrut seçim bölgesinde sonuçları Ermeniler belirleyecek 19.2% are Greek Orthodox, 13.19% Maronite, 9.8% Greek Catholic, 9.76% Sunni, 5.57% Armenian Catholic, 3.95% Syriac Catholic, 3% Latin Catholics, 1.97% other Minorities groups, 2.88% Evangelicals, 1.99% Shia and 0.37% Druze or Alawite.
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.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 161 It elected eight Christian parliamentarians; three Armenian Orthodox, one Armenian Catholic, one Protestant, one Maronite, one Greek Orthodox and one Greek Catholic. This constituency was used in the 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 elections.
1960 Election Law The constituency was established as part of the 1960 Election Law. 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.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 135 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.
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 Chaldean Catholics, 460 Syriac Orthodox, 152 Druze and 180 persons belonging to other religious groups. Minet El Hosn hosted the majority of the Jewish community in Lebanon.
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.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 255
Members of Parliament elected from Beirut I ArmenianOrthodoxArmenianCatholicProtestantMaroniteGreekOrthodoxGreekCatholic1960Movses Der KaloustianKhatchig BabikianSouren KhanamirianJoseph ChaderCharles SaadPierre GemayelFouad BoutrosAntoine Sehnawi1964Movses Der KaloustianKhatchig BabikianSouren KhanamirianJoseph ChaderCharles SaadPierre GemayelFouad BoutrosAntoine Sehnawi1968Movses Der KaloustianKhatchig BabikianSouren KhanamirianJoseph ChaderSamir IshaqPierre GemayelMichel Georges SassineNasri Maalouf1972Melkon EblighatianKhatchig BabikianSouren KhanamirianJoseph 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.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 169–171, 185
1964 election In a surprise move ahead of the 1964 general election, Camille Chamoun withdrew his candidates from Beirut I. In the end, all candidates of the Kataeb-Armenian Revolutionary Federation 'People's List' were elected unopposed.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 199–200
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).Zuwiyya, Jalal. The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968. Leiden: Brill, 1972. p. 100Ḥevrah 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 The elections in Beirut I passed smoothly without violent incidents.Zuwiyya, Jalal. The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968. Leiden: Brill, 1972. pp. 13–17 The four Armenian parliamentarians were elected unopposed. Pierre Gemayel won the Maronite seat and his fellow Kataeb member Samir Ishaq won the Protestant seat.Entelis, John P. Pluralism and Party Transformation in Lebanon. Al-Kataʼib, 1936–1970. Leiden: Brill, 1974. p. 91 Michel Georges Sassine won the Greek Orthodox seat whilst and the Greek Catholic on Sassine's list Nasri Maalouf was also elected.
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.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 255–256
After the Civil War, a new set-up of constituencies was used ahead of the 1992 general election abolishing the 1960 Election Law constituencies.
2009
Beirut I was an electoral district in Lebanon. It covered three neighbourhoods (quartiers) in the eastern parts of the capital; Achrafieh, Rmeil and Saifi.IFES. Electoral Districts in Lebanon The constituency elected five members of the Parliament of Lebanon; one Maronite, one Greek Orthodox, one Greek Catholic, one Armenian Orthodox and one Armenian Catholic (for more information on the Lebanese electoral system, see Elections in Lebanon). The constituency was created with the 2008 Doha Agreement, ahead of the 2009 parliamentary election.
Creation The boundaries and the sectarian seat allocation of the electoral district were defined by the 2008 Doha Agreement, which instituted election districts similar to those of the 1960 Election Law.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 445 The creation of Beirut I meant that for the first time since the 1972 parliamentary election there was a Christian-majority electoral district in Beirut (between 1960 and 1972 there was a Christian-majority Beirut I electoral district with slightly different boundaries). The new Election Law was formally adopted on September 28, 2008.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 450
Demographics The majority of the Christian population of Beirut lives in Beirut I.NOW Lebanon. Districts in depth: Beirut I The Ministry of Interior and Municipalities reported in 2011 that the constituency had 91,486 voters and the following religious composition: 26.2% Greek Orthodox, 16.73% Maronites, 16.2% Armenian Orthodox, 12.94% Greek Catholic, 11.0% other Christian Minorities, 7.0% Sunni Muslims and 5.2% Armenian Catholics. According to an article in Nahar newspaper published in May 2008, 2.24% of the registered voters of Beirut I were Protestants, 1.89% Shia Muslims and 0.28% Druze.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 446 However, many of the registered voters of Beirut I live overseas.
2009 election During the 2009 election there were 92,764 registered voters in Beirut I. Before the election a lot of attention was given to the race in Beirut I, as it was one of a handful of electoral districts where the outcome was difficult to predict on forehand.European Union Election Observation Mission to Lebanon. Final Report on the 7 June 2009 Parliamentary Elections Both March 8 and March 14 sought to mobilize overseas voters to come to Lebanon for the voting day. However, incumbent parliamentarian Michel Pharaon criticized the mobilization of overseas voters.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 457
Free Decision List The 'Free Decision List' was the list aligned with the March 14 alliance.Messerlian, Zaven. Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 481 As of March 20, 2009 the March 14 candidates in Beirut I were Nadim Gemayel (son of Bashir Gemayel) of the Kataeb Party for the Maronite seat, Michel Pharaon of the Future Movement for the Greek Catholic seat, Nayla Tueni (daughter of Gebran Tueni) for the Greek Orthodox seat. However, the alliance had difficulties defining the Armenian candidates for their list. Both March 8 and March 14 tries to get the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Tashnaqs) to contest on their list. Thus both alliances hesitated to nominate Armenian candidates before the Tashnaq party declared its allegiance.