ISTANBUL–The election for the 84th Patriarch of Istanbul is scheduled to take place Wednesday–following a weekend-long election process for lay and religious delegates and the narrowing down of list candidates–reported the Armenian Patriarchate
A Clerical Assembly met at the Armenian Patriarchate Friday and elected 10 clerical delegates. The Assembly also narrowed down a list of 18 candidates for the Patriarchal chair to two with Locum Tenens Arch. Mesrob Mutafyan receiving 23 votes and contender Arch. Shahan Sevadjian receiving 9 votes
During city-wide elections Sunday–79 lay delegates were elected during neighborhood polls held in Istanbul–Kayseri–Diyarbakir–Iskenderun–Kirikhan and Antioch.
Armenia’s residing in other areas had to travel to these cities in order to participate in the elections.
Two groups of lay delegate candidates representing either Mutafyan or Sevadjian campaigned for elections–with 15,811 Armenian Church members taking part in the voting. 186 votes were deemed invalid.
Supporters of Arch. Mutafyan received 10,774 votes–or 64 delegates–while supporters of Arch. Sevadjian received 4,824 votes–or 15 delegates).
The 10 clerical and 79 lay delegates will form the Armenian Church General Assembly Wednesday to elect a new Religious Council and the 84th Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul.