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NO MIRACLES OCCUR IN POLITICS
Lilit Poghosyan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily Newspaper
21 Aug 2007
Armenia
In response to our questions, GAGIK MINASYAN, member of the RPA
faction and Head of the NA Committee, touches upon the pre-election
"winds" blowing on the political arena prior to the heated autumn
and the predictions of the native fortune-tellers.
"I don't think the process developing on the political arena contains
any extraordinary elements. The Presidential elections are in store
and it is natural that more active discussions were to take place in
that connection.
On the other hand, the political process becomes somewhat active due
to the fact that the Opposition did not actually manage to seriously
prepare for the Parliamentary elections, and the factions that didn't
manage to cross the 5 per cent barrier reduced the votes of their
electorate to dust in the aftermath of such a short-sighted policy. In
fact, 25 per cent of voters were thus deprived of the opportunity to
see their elected activists and parties in the National Assembly. And
a 25 per cent electorate is really a considerable resource. I think
those factions could have been elected to the National Assembly had
they oriented themselves properly; and their electorate would have
its representatives in the Parliament.
Consequently, life itself forces our colleagues belonging to the
Opposition to find possible solutions and be able to stand for the
coming presidential elections in a more proper manner. And what
you characterize as a "prelude" of the heated autumn, it is quite a
regular and predictable process, at least in my estimation."
"And isn't there something extraordinary in the fact that some
pro-Opposition parties 'fearing' the Armenian pan-National Movement are
currently negotiating with the former activists without any complex.
Even the issue of running for Presidency with a united candidate is
under discussion."
"I don't see anything extraordinary there either. The political
factions currently operating inside the pro-Opposition camp were
naturally expected to be in new political formats and in search of
new unions, considering that they did not manage to orient themselves
properly during the previous elections. It is logical that such
search should also have led to cooperation among other factions
including the Armenian pan-National Movement. That's to say, the
Armenian pan-National Movement does not seem to stand out from other
factions. Therefore, I consider such consultations quite natural.
However, we have, perhaps, to wait a little more and see whether those
developments will finally make them unite their efforts. Either that
will happen or the things will remain unchanged."
"It is possible to infer from your words that the Republican is
interested in the in the triumphant end of the negotiations, under-way
on the pro-Opposition front. While the pro-Opposition leaders insist
that the RPA leaders are doing their best to prevent the process of
the Opposition's unification."
"I cannot agree in any way that the Republican leaders are doing
their best to prevent the Opposition from uniting. If you remember,
even before the Parliamentary elections a lot of political figures
including me announced many times that in terms of the accomplishment
of the country and the political arena it will be more favorable for
the Opposition to act in a united front and for the political mosaic to
contain capable and strong political factions and activists. From this
point of view, I still share the opinion that should the RPA candidate
have a serious political rival in the person of the Opposition's
united candidate, the elections will be more interesting.
Anyway, I think that the election results are clear, regardless
whether or not the Opposition will unite. Out Candidate will run for
Presidency based on the reserve' stored in the sphere of political
practice and state building, and it does not simply give others any
chance to succeed during the Presidential elections.
But I repeat, the election campaign will be more interesting if the
pro-Opposition front manages to put aside the pretensions discussed not
only by society, but also by the pro-Opposition leaders themselves and
unite their efforts on some political, ideological or common economic
basis. I believe, this will become a very important stage for the
recovery of the political mosaic, and I consider it extremely important
for the regular development of our further political processes."
"If some miracle occurs and the Opposition stands for election with a
united team, can Mr. Ter-Petrosyan become the center of unification
around which the traditional, i.e. the pro-Opposition parties not
belonging to the Armenian pan-National Movement and not pursuing their
views, can reach an agreement. Can this essentially change the logic
of the pre-election game?"
"Let's not talk about miracles. I think, in case Levon Ter-Petrosyan
appears on the political arena and is proposed as a candidate, it
will be impossible for the political processes to undergo serious
changes even if some part of the Opposition supports his candidacy.
No miracles occur in politics. What a man sows, so shall he reap. As
to the Armenian pan-National Movement, very few positive things are
possible to say about it both for the period of its active political
work and after the party's departing from active politics. The people's
memory is not short enough to be obliterated by some miracle and
make it possible to persuade the public that the opinion they have
formed about the Armenian pan-National Movement should be changed
for certain reasons."
"While some people hope that in case Mr. Ter-Petorsyan is proposed
as a candidate, even the pro-Government coalition will 'split', and
'some factions', habitually called rats, will be able to move to the
camp of the Armenian pan-National Movement."
"No essential changes may occur in this camp either, because
the political factions included in the ruling coalition, i.e. the
Republican and 'Prosperous Armenia', have quite good reasons not to
change their attitude towards the Armenian pan-National Movement and
its candidate, considering the party's behavior both during the period
when it represented the authority and after it left it.
As far as L. Ter-Petrosyan is particularly concerned, when a political
figure is not engaged in politics for a long time, his return is
a rather problematic issue. On the other hand, I don't find it
quite appropriate for the present moment to touch upon the issue,
because Mr. Ter-Petrosyan himself has not yet made any statement in
this regard."
Lilit Poghosyan
Hayots Ashkharh Daily Newspaper
21 Aug 2007
Armenia
In response to our questions, GAGIK MINASYAN, member of the RPA
faction and Head of the NA Committee, touches upon the pre-election
"winds" blowing on the political arena prior to the heated autumn
and the predictions of the native fortune-tellers.
"I don't think the process developing on the political arena contains
any extraordinary elements. The Presidential elections are in store
and it is natural that more active discussions were to take place in
that connection.
On the other hand, the political process becomes somewhat active due
to the fact that the Opposition did not actually manage to seriously
prepare for the Parliamentary elections, and the factions that didn't
manage to cross the 5 per cent barrier reduced the votes of their
electorate to dust in the aftermath of such a short-sighted policy. In
fact, 25 per cent of voters were thus deprived of the opportunity to
see their elected activists and parties in the National Assembly. And
a 25 per cent electorate is really a considerable resource. I think
those factions could have been elected to the National Assembly had
they oriented themselves properly; and their electorate would have
its representatives in the Parliament.
Consequently, life itself forces our colleagues belonging to the
Opposition to find possible solutions and be able to stand for the
coming presidential elections in a more proper manner. And what
you characterize as a "prelude" of the heated autumn, it is quite a
regular and predictable process, at least in my estimation."
"And isn't there something extraordinary in the fact that some
pro-Opposition parties 'fearing' the Armenian pan-National Movement are
currently negotiating with the former activists without any complex.
Even the issue of running for Presidency with a united candidate is
under discussion."
"I don't see anything extraordinary there either. The political
factions currently operating inside the pro-Opposition camp were
naturally expected to be in new political formats and in search of
new unions, considering that they did not manage to orient themselves
properly during the previous elections. It is logical that such
search should also have led to cooperation among other factions
including the Armenian pan-National Movement. That's to say, the
Armenian pan-National Movement does not seem to stand out from other
factions. Therefore, I consider such consultations quite natural.
However, we have, perhaps, to wait a little more and see whether those
developments will finally make them unite their efforts. Either that
will happen or the things will remain unchanged."
"It is possible to infer from your words that the Republican is
interested in the in the triumphant end of the negotiations, under-way
on the pro-Opposition front. While the pro-Opposition leaders insist
that the RPA leaders are doing their best to prevent the process of
the Opposition's unification."
"I cannot agree in any way that the Republican leaders are doing
their best to prevent the Opposition from uniting. If you remember,
even before the Parliamentary elections a lot of political figures
including me announced many times that in terms of the accomplishment
of the country and the political arena it will be more favorable for
the Opposition to act in a united front and for the political mosaic to
contain capable and strong political factions and activists. From this
point of view, I still share the opinion that should the RPA candidate
have a serious political rival in the person of the Opposition's
united candidate, the elections will be more interesting.
Anyway, I think that the election results are clear, regardless
whether or not the Opposition will unite. Out Candidate will run for
Presidency based on the reserve' stored in the sphere of political
practice and state building, and it does not simply give others any
chance to succeed during the Presidential elections.
But I repeat, the election campaign will be more interesting if the
pro-Opposition front manages to put aside the pretensions discussed not
only by society, but also by the pro-Opposition leaders themselves and
unite their efforts on some political, ideological or common economic
basis. I believe, this will become a very important stage for the
recovery of the political mosaic, and I consider it extremely important
for the regular development of our further political processes."
"If some miracle occurs and the Opposition stands for election with a
united team, can Mr. Ter-Petrosyan become the center of unification
around which the traditional, i.e. the pro-Opposition parties not
belonging to the Armenian pan-National Movement and not pursuing their
views, can reach an agreement. Can this essentially change the logic
of the pre-election game?"
"Let's not talk about miracles. I think, in case Levon Ter-Petrosyan
appears on the political arena and is proposed as a candidate, it
will be impossible for the political processes to undergo serious
changes even if some part of the Opposition supports his candidacy.
No miracles occur in politics. What a man sows, so shall he reap. As
to the Armenian pan-National Movement, very few positive things are
possible to say about it both for the period of its active political
work and after the party's departing from active politics. The people's
memory is not short enough to be obliterated by some miracle and
make it possible to persuade the public that the opinion they have
formed about the Armenian pan-National Movement should be changed
for certain reasons."
"While some people hope that in case Mr. Ter-Petorsyan is proposed
as a candidate, even the pro-Government coalition will 'split', and
'some factions', habitually called rats, will be able to move to the
camp of the Armenian pan-National Movement."
"No essential changes may occur in this camp either, because
the political factions included in the ruling coalition, i.e. the
Republican and 'Prosperous Armenia', have quite good reasons not to
change their attitude towards the Armenian pan-National Movement and
its candidate, considering the party's behavior both during the period
when it represented the authority and after it left it.
As far as L. Ter-Petrosyan is particularly concerned, when a political
figure is not engaged in politics for a long time, his return is
a rather problematic issue. On the other hand, I don't find it
quite appropriate for the present moment to touch upon the issue,
because Mr. Ter-Petrosyan himself has not yet made any statement in
this regard."