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HOVANNISIAN SEEKS EXTRA PARLIAMENT SEAT
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 18 2007
Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian said on Monday that we will contest
a repeat parliamentary election in a constituency in central Armenia
despite having already been elected to the National Assembly.
It is the first time that a sitting member of the Armenian parliament
elected on the party list basis is seeking another seat in the
legislature under the first-past-the-post system. Hovannisian's
unprecedented move does not run counter to the country's Electoral
Code.
Residents of the electoral district No. 15, largely covering the town
of Talin and surrounding villages, already went to the polls along
with voters in the rest of the country on May 12. Khachik Manukian,
a businessman backed by the governing Republican Party (HHK), was
declared the winner of the vote amid allegations vote rigging made by
his main challenger, Talin Mayor Mnatsakan Mnatsakanian. The latter
is backed by the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), a junior partner in
the HHK-led governing coalition.
Manukian subsequently relinquished his parliamentary mandate
under apparent pressure from the HHK, leading the Central Election
Commission (CEC) to schedule a repeat election in that district for
August 26. He and Mnatsakanian are among 11 candidates that have filed
for registration with the district election commission. One of them,
Hovannisian, is already a parliament deputy, having topped the list
of his Zharangutyun (Heritage) party's candidates in the May 12 polls.
Zharangutyun won 7 of the 91 parliament seats contested under the
system of proportional representation and failed to prevail in any of
the 41 single-seat constituencies. The party accused the authorities
of stealing two-thirds of votes cast for it, but chose to accept
the mandates allotted to it and not to boycott sessions of the newly
elected legislature. Hovannisian's victory in the Talin constituency
would give it an extra parliament seat.
"Zharangutyun has decided to reclaim, step by step, day by day,
votes stolen from us," said Hovannisian. "We will start doing that
from the electoral district No. 15. We want citizens living in that
district to understand that at stake is also their freedom of choice."
Mnatsakanian, who claims to be the rightful winner of the May 12 vote
in the district, dismissed the explanation. "If I were [Hovannisian,]
I wouldn't run," he told RFE/RL. "I consider that an unserious move.
He is already a deputy."
Manukian, for his part, refused to comment on the development, saying
only that he is determined to win the August election fair and square.
But that will be a difficult task not only because of Hovannisian's
decision to enter the fray. The pool of candidates includes two other,
little-known individuals who also go under the name Khachik Manukian,
something which is certain to cause confusion among supporters of
the HHK candidate.
The two men were clearly told to run for parliament by one of his
rivals keen to damages his electoral chances. One of the obscure
Manukians is a 75-year-old unemployed man, while the other works as
a costume maker in a state theater in Yerevan.
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 18 2007
Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian said on Monday that we will contest
a repeat parliamentary election in a constituency in central Armenia
despite having already been elected to the National Assembly.
It is the first time that a sitting member of the Armenian parliament
elected on the party list basis is seeking another seat in the
legislature under the first-past-the-post system. Hovannisian's
unprecedented move does not run counter to the country's Electoral
Code.
Residents of the electoral district No. 15, largely covering the town
of Talin and surrounding villages, already went to the polls along
with voters in the rest of the country on May 12. Khachik Manukian,
a businessman backed by the governing Republican Party (HHK), was
declared the winner of the vote amid allegations vote rigging made by
his main challenger, Talin Mayor Mnatsakan Mnatsakanian. The latter
is backed by the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), a junior partner in
the HHK-led governing coalition.
Manukian subsequently relinquished his parliamentary mandate
under apparent pressure from the HHK, leading the Central Election
Commission (CEC) to schedule a repeat election in that district for
August 26. He and Mnatsakanian are among 11 candidates that have filed
for registration with the district election commission. One of them,
Hovannisian, is already a parliament deputy, having topped the list
of his Zharangutyun (Heritage) party's candidates in the May 12 polls.
Zharangutyun won 7 of the 91 parliament seats contested under the
system of proportional representation and failed to prevail in any of
the 41 single-seat constituencies. The party accused the authorities
of stealing two-thirds of votes cast for it, but chose to accept
the mandates allotted to it and not to boycott sessions of the newly
elected legislature. Hovannisian's victory in the Talin constituency
would give it an extra parliament seat.
"Zharangutyun has decided to reclaim, step by step, day by day,
votes stolen from us," said Hovannisian. "We will start doing that
from the electoral district No. 15. We want citizens living in that
district to understand that at stake is also their freedom of choice."
Mnatsakanian, who claims to be the rightful winner of the May 12 vote
in the district, dismissed the explanation. "If I were [Hovannisian,]
I wouldn't run," he told RFE/RL. "I consider that an unserious move.
He is already a deputy."
Manukian, for his part, refused to comment on the development, saying
only that he is determined to win the August election fair and square.
But that will be a difficult task not only because of Hovannisian's
decision to enter the fray. The pool of candidates includes two other,
little-known individuals who also go under the name Khachik Manukian,
something which is certain to cause confusion among supporters of
the HHK candidate.
The two men were clearly told to run for parliament by one of his
rivals keen to damages his electoral chances. One of the obscure
Manukians is a 75-year-old unemployed man, while the other works as
a costume maker in a state theater in Yerevan.