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U.S.-Armenian Figure Skeptical About Fair Election Pledge

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  • U.S.-Armenian Figure Skeptical About Fair Election Pledge

    U.S.-ARMENIAN FIGURE SKEPTICAL ABOUT FAIR ELECTION PLEDGE
    Tigran Avetisian

    http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24532872.html
    30.03.2012

    Armenia -- Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken
    Hachikian, undated.xArmenia -- Armenian National Committee of America
    (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian, undated.

    A prominent American-Armenian public activist who heads the largest
    Armenian lobbying group in the United States has cast doubts over
    the assurances by the leadership in Yerevan about holding the fairest
    elections in the history of the former Soviet state.

    Ken Hachikian, who has led the Armenian National Committee of America
    (ANCA) since 2000, was in Yerevan to attend a conference of the
    Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Hay Dat committees and offices
    that opened on Friday.

    In an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) the
    same day Hachikian expressed a general concern about the fairness of
    the Armenian elections. "The past elections have not been fair, they
    have not been clean, and it is very important that these elections be
    clean," he said. At the same time, he said that he took the assurances
    of the Armenian administration about ensuring the fairness of the
    May 6 general elections with "a great deal of skepticism".

    Still, the noted Armenian-American figure would not cast doubts over
    the prospect of the ARF entering the next Armenian parliament.

    "We follow the domestic politics in Armenia with a great interest. I
    have every reason to believe that the Dashnak Party will pass the
    five-percent threshold," Hachikian emphasized.

    In the interview the ANCA chairman also addressed the latest efforts
    on the international affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

    "I believe the current process on the international recognition of
    the Armenian Genocide has picked up considerable momentum in recent
    years," said Hachikian, referring to the law in France to criminalize
    the denial of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, as well as the passage
    in the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill on returning church
    properties to Christian minorities in Turkey.

    "Even though the law in France has been stalled because of the
    constitutional court ruling, its passage in the French parliament
    gave considerable momentum and publicity to the issue of genocide
    recognition," he emphasized.

    Speaking about the prospect of the passage of a resolution to recognize
    the Armenian Genocide at the United States Congress, Hachikian said
    it was unlikely to happen during this term.

    "I don't believe there is going to be an opportune time to be able to
    pass the resolution today, in this session. However, I do think that
    we may have an opportunity to pass the reparations resolution on church
    properties in the United States Senate," the ANCA chairman concluded.

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