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Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 27 2012
Armenia prepares for presidential elections
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
Armenia wakes up after summer. The political situation begins to adapt
to the presidential elections in February 2013. Leaders of the union
National Self-Determination and the party New Times, Parujr Ajrikian
and Aram Karapetian, intend to go to the polls. But both of them are
outsiders. Most likely, this group will include two or three more
candidates who take part in elections for participation only.
The more important politician, the chairman of the opposition party
Heritage, Raffi Ovannosian, stated on ontention to participate in the
elections. The former US citizen who gained Armenian citizenship in
the early 2000s has the right to go to the polls for the first time.
Ovannisian stated that Armenia needs an innovative president who would
be able to fulfill necessary reforms. Moreover, he said that the law
should be supreme in the country, power branches should be separated,
major business should be separated from the public management, and a
vicious monopoly system should be destroyed.
After the July session the administration of Dashnaktsutyun declared
that the party might present its own candidate at the presidential
elections, but his name is still unknown.
Nevertheless, none of key players has stated on participation in the
elections officially. Of course, it doesn't concern Serge Sargsyan.
Nobody has doubts that the current president will go to the polls. We
mean his predecessors who were politically active during Sargsyan's
term. At the moment, observers reject the possibility of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan's participation in the elections.
The head of the research center `Sociometer', Agaron Adibekian, thinks
that if Robert Kocharyan sees surveys data, he won't take part in the
elections. `Levon Ter-Petrosyan has no chances to be a common
candidate from the opposition, while nomination from the ANC will lead
to failure.'
The head of the Regional Research Center, Richard Giragosian, believes
that participation of both ex-presidents is unlikely: `Ter-Petrosyan
presents a significant political force, and at the moment he is an
active player involved into Armenian politics. But I think it would be
reasonable for Ter-Petrosyan not to participate in the elections
again.'
The same view is shared by the deputy director of the institute
Kavkaz, Sergey Minasian, who says that Ter-Petrosyan is not new: `The
ANC has lost a big part of its followers; the political field was
divided between the Republican Party of Armenia and Prosperous
Armenia. Levon Ter-Petrosyan has always had political intuition. That
is why he is biding time.'
Considering huge political experience of Ter-Petrosyan and Kcharyan,
we should not exclude the other way of developments, moreover, 5
months are left ahead of the elections. In this sense the recent
sensational statement by the former aide of Kocharyan, Garnik
Isagulian, on existence of a secret organization `Mgeri Dur' which
collects information on Armenian elite is interesting. Isagulian said
that the organization has the list of all military and political
activists who have had power, including information on their private
and social activity. Referring the list, Isagulian stated that since
1994 about $17 billion were taken away from Armenia.
The political technologist Armen Badalian says that Isagulian's
statement should be considered only in the context of coming
elections.' Of course, nobody will publish damaging information or
state on its existence for free. Blackmailing elements are clearly
seen in the statement by the former aide of the president. It is
difficult to say who stands behind this affair,' the political
technologist states. He also affirms that Robert Kocharyan might stand
behind Isagulian.
One more major political player in the country is the chairman of the
party Prosperous Armenia, Gagik Tsarukian, who is not in a hurry to
express his view on the elections. The pro-governmental mass media
makes confident statements that Tsarukian will support Sargsyan in the
elections. The leader of PA continues to keep silence. At the moment
it is difficult to predict PA's plans, but it is impossible to believe
that such a powerful political force will remain indifferent to the
elections.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/31879.html
From: A. Papazian
Sept 27 2012
Armenia prepares for presidential elections
Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
Armenia wakes up after summer. The political situation begins to adapt
to the presidential elections in February 2013. Leaders of the union
National Self-Determination and the party New Times, Parujr Ajrikian
and Aram Karapetian, intend to go to the polls. But both of them are
outsiders. Most likely, this group will include two or three more
candidates who take part in elections for participation only.
The more important politician, the chairman of the opposition party
Heritage, Raffi Ovannosian, stated on ontention to participate in the
elections. The former US citizen who gained Armenian citizenship in
the early 2000s has the right to go to the polls for the first time.
Ovannisian stated that Armenia needs an innovative president who would
be able to fulfill necessary reforms. Moreover, he said that the law
should be supreme in the country, power branches should be separated,
major business should be separated from the public management, and a
vicious monopoly system should be destroyed.
After the July session the administration of Dashnaktsutyun declared
that the party might present its own candidate at the presidential
elections, but his name is still unknown.
Nevertheless, none of key players has stated on participation in the
elections officially. Of course, it doesn't concern Serge Sargsyan.
Nobody has doubts that the current president will go to the polls. We
mean his predecessors who were politically active during Sargsyan's
term. At the moment, observers reject the possibility of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan's participation in the elections.
The head of the research center `Sociometer', Agaron Adibekian, thinks
that if Robert Kocharyan sees surveys data, he won't take part in the
elections. `Levon Ter-Petrosyan has no chances to be a common
candidate from the opposition, while nomination from the ANC will lead
to failure.'
The head of the Regional Research Center, Richard Giragosian, believes
that participation of both ex-presidents is unlikely: `Ter-Petrosyan
presents a significant political force, and at the moment he is an
active player involved into Armenian politics. But I think it would be
reasonable for Ter-Petrosyan not to participate in the elections
again.'
The same view is shared by the deputy director of the institute
Kavkaz, Sergey Minasian, who says that Ter-Petrosyan is not new: `The
ANC has lost a big part of its followers; the political field was
divided between the Republican Party of Armenia and Prosperous
Armenia. Levon Ter-Petrosyan has always had political intuition. That
is why he is biding time.'
Considering huge political experience of Ter-Petrosyan and Kcharyan,
we should not exclude the other way of developments, moreover, 5
months are left ahead of the elections. In this sense the recent
sensational statement by the former aide of Kocharyan, Garnik
Isagulian, on existence of a secret organization `Mgeri Dur' which
collects information on Armenian elite is interesting. Isagulian said
that the organization has the list of all military and political
activists who have had power, including information on their private
and social activity. Referring the list, Isagulian stated that since
1994 about $17 billion were taken away from Armenia.
The political technologist Armen Badalian says that Isagulian's
statement should be considered only in the context of coming
elections.' Of course, nobody will publish damaging information or
state on its existence for free. Blackmailing elements are clearly
seen in the statement by the former aide of the president. It is
difficult to say who stands behind this affair,' the political
technologist states. He also affirms that Robert Kocharyan might stand
behind Isagulian.
One more major political player in the country is the chairman of the
party Prosperous Armenia, Gagik Tsarukian, who is not in a hurry to
express his view on the elections. The pro-governmental mass media
makes confident statements that Tsarukian will support Sargsyan in the
elections. The leader of PA continues to keep silence. At the moment
it is difficult to predict PA's plans, but it is impossible to believe
that such a powerful political force will remain indifferent to the
elections.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/31879.html
From: A. Papazian