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The Ramgavar party (before 1921 it was known as the Armenakan party), or the Armenian Democratic Liberal party, is an Armenian political party in Armenia, Lebanon, USA, Canada and some other countries [2]. It was established in the Ottoman Empire by Mekertich Portukalian in Van in 1885. The Armenakan party was of the first parties that was established in the Ottoman Empire by Armenians. At the Armenian parliamentary elections on 25 May 2003, the party won 2.9 % of popular votes and no seats.

History
The Armenakan party was established in Van by Mekertich Portukalian in 1885 [3]. It was classified as a party based on the fact that it developed a platform, a central body, and an official publication.

The founder of the Armenakan party, Mekertich Portukalian (from Marseilles) kept in touch with the leaders, and published a journal of political and social enlightenment, "The Armenia". Portukalian is also cited as the father of the Armenian Patriotic Society of Europe.

After Mekertich Portukalian, the Armenians of Van continued to develop the political principles behind Armenian nationalism, in secrecy. The party's aim soon became to win for the Armenians the right to rule over themselves through revolution. The party's view on how to liberate Armenia from the Ottoman Empire was through armed struggle. Its concept of revolution was distinctly low-keyed, compared with that of succeeding organisations; terror, agitation and militant demonstrations were viewed with disfavour. They wanted to use trained Armenians with arms, as guerrilla fighters, 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 had 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
See also: Armenian rebellions in the Ottoman Empire
Bashkaleh Resistance: (May, 1889)
Defense of Van: (June, 1896)
Khanasor Expedition: (July 25, 1897)
Van Resistance: (April 19, 1915 - May 6, 1915)

 Change of Name
In 1921 the Armenakans, reformed Hunchaks, and Sahmanadir Ramgavars joined together to form the Ramgavar Party. The majority of the membership of the Armenakan Party was absorbed into the Ramgavar Party.


 Modern politics
The Ramgavar party has long been the smallest of the ethnic Armenian parties in Lebanon. It won its first-ever parliamentary seat in 2000, as Rafik Hariri's Dignity party. The Ramgavar party advocates liberalism, unlike the other two major Lebanese-Armenian political parties, the Dashnaktsutyun and the Hunchakians, who follow left-wing politics.