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The Armenakan Party (in Armenian Արմենական Կուսակցութիւն) was an Armenian political party established in Van, Ottoman Empire in 1885 by Mekertich Portukalian as an underground organization against the ruling system. It is considered the first Armenian political party.

The party was founded in autumn 1885 journalist and teacher Mekertich Portukalian and nine of his disciples: Meguerditch Avetisian, M. Baroudjian, Panos Terlemezian, Grigor Adjemian, Grigor Adian, Grigor Beozikian, Rouben Chatavarian, Kevork Handjian and Garegin Manoukian.

Portukalian, who was based in Marseille, kept in touch with the leaders and published a journal of political and social enlightenment, Armenia (1885-1923). Portukalian is also cited as the father of the Armenian Patriotic Society of Europe.

After Mekertich Portukalian, the Armenians of Van continued developing the political principles of Armenian nationalism in secret. The party's aim soon became winning the right of Armenians to rule over themselves through revolutionary armed struggle and thus liberate Armenia from the Ottoman Empire. Its concept of revolution was distinctly limited in comparison with that of succeeding organisations; it viewed terrorism, agitation and militant demonstrations with disfavor, preferring instead to deploy Armenians trained in the use of arms as guerrillas against the Ottoman Empire.

The party's main misconception was that enemies of the Ottoman Empire would intervene and rescue the Armenian people throughout the period 1885–1918.

With the turn of the century, Armenakans established cells outside Van, in other towns in the province, as well as in Trabzon and Istanbul. The military structure was developed in Russian Transcaucasia, in Persia and in the United States.

Activities in the Ottoman Empire:

• Bashkaleh Resistance: (May, 1889)
• Van Rebellion : (June, 1896)
• Siege of Van: (April 19, 1915 - May 6, 1915)

Merger into the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party

After the Armenian genocide, the remnants of the Armenakans joined forces with the splinter faction of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party known as Reorganized Hunchakian Party, the Armenian Constitutional Democratic Party, and the Popular Party, and founded the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ռամկավար Ազատական Կուսակցութիւն (ՌԱԿ)) or Ramgavar Party) in Constantinople on October 1, 1921. The membership of the Armenakan Party was absorbed into the new party. The party went on to become one of the three traditional Armenian diaspora political groupings alongside the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party.

See also

• Armenian Democratic Liberal Party

References

v t e Armenian nationalism
Ideology	United Armenia Tseghakronism Miatsum
Organizations	Active political parties Adequate Party Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar) Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnak) Hosank National Agenda Party National Revival of Artsakh Sasna Tsrer Pan-Armenian Party Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (Hunchak) Defunct parties Armenakan Party National United Party Defunct militant organizations Armenian fedayi Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia Army of Independence New Armenian Resistance Group Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide Armenian Revolutionary Army
People	Thinkers Khachatur Abovian Mikayel Nalbandian Raffi Mkrtich Khrimian Shahan Natalie Garegin Nzhdeh Siamanto Avetis Aharonian Hayk Asatryan Kevork Ajemian Silva Kaputikyan Rafayel Ishkhanian Monte Melkonian Militants and commanders Arabo Aghbiur Serob Kevork Chavush Andranik Aram Manukian Armen Garo Garegin Nzhdeh Hagop Hagopian Movses Gorgisyan Monte Melkonian Vazgen Sargsyan Jirair Sefilian
History	Armenian national awakening Armenian national movement Occupation of the Ottoman Bank Yıldız assassination attempt Battle of Sardarabad February Uprising Karabakh movement First Nagorno-Karabakh War Khojaly massacre Turkish consulate attack in Paris Ankara Esenboğa Airport attack 1983 Orly Airport attack
Political entities	Provisional Republic of Van First Republic of Armenia Republic of Mountainous Armenia Republic of Armenia Republic of Artsakh Western Armenia Government in Exile

v t e Political parties in Armenia
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v t e Political parties in the Ottoman Empire
Parliamentary parties	Ottoman Committee of Union and Progress Freedom and Accord Party Renewal Party Socialist Workers' Federation Ethnic Armenian Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armenakan Party (reformed as Democratic Liberal Party) Hunchakian Party Ethnic Bulgarian People's Federative Party Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs
Other parties	Ottoman Socialist Party Jewish Social Democratic Labour Party in Palestine Ottoman Democratic Party Peoples Party Ottoman Committee of Alliance Ottoman Liberal People's Party League of private Initiative and Decentralization
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