Tweet
ARMENIAN VOTE FAVORS INCUMBENT
The International Herald Tribune, France
February 19, 2013 Tuesday
Victory would promote stability for ally of U.S. and aid in watching Iran
DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
MOSCOW
ABSTRACT
A second term for President Serzh Sargsyan would maintain stability in
a country that has become an increasingly important American ally
FULL TEXT
Armenians voted on Monday in a presidential election that seemed
certain to return President Serzh Sargsyan to office for a second
five-year term, and to maintain stability in a country that has become
an increasingly important, if uneasy, American ally in monitoring
Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Mr. Sargsyan, 58, a veteran politician, is generally viewed as having
presided over modest economic improvements in recent years, though
Armenia has struggled because of closed borders with Turkey and with
Azerbaijan, its enemy in a continuing war over the disputed territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mr. Sargsyan faced relatively weak competition after his two strongest
potential challengers and their parties announced last year that they
would not compete in the election - former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian of the Armenian National Congress and Gagik Tsarukyan
of the Prosperous Armenia Party. Mr. Tsarukyan is a wealthy
businessman, lawmaker and the head of Armenia's national Olympic
committee.
An exit poll of 19,130 voters conducted by Gallup International and
carried by ArmNews TV showed Ms. Sargsyan winning 58 percent of the
vote, The Associated Press reported. The closest of his six rivals,
Raffi Hovanissian, who was born in the United States and was
post-Soviet Armenia's first foreign minister, was shown with 32
percent.
But while Mr. Sargysan's victory has been predicted for months, there
have been some unexpected developments in the campaign. One
challenger, Andreas Ghukasian, a political commentator who manages a
radio station in the capital, Yerevan, has been on a hunger strike
demanding that Mr. Sargsyan be removed from the ballot.
Another challenger, Paruir A. Airikyan, was shot in the shoulder in
late January in what the authorities described as an assassination
attempt, although there was no known motive. Mr. Airikyan is a former
Soviet dissident who promoted Armenian independence and has run
unsuccessfully for president several times. He briefly considered
invoking a constitutional provision to delay the election for two
weeks as a result of his wound but ultimately decided to allow the
balloting to proceed.
Mr. Sargsyan's expected second term will be watched closely for any
sign of progress in resolving the war with Azerbaijan, and for any
indication that Armenia is reducing support for economic sanctions
against Iran, as those sanctions make life more difficult in both
countries.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh continues at a simmer, with
periodic violence along the line of contact, including frequent
exchanges of gunfire and occasional casualties. Peace talks led by the
so-called Minsk Group, which is led by the United States, Russia and
France, have mostly stalled.
With the border with Turkey still closed because of historic
animosities and Turkey's ties with Azerbaijan, Armenia has
traditionally relied heavily on Iran as an economic partner, but those
ties are now constrained by sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.
Western powers accuse Tehran of seeking the technology to build
nuclear weapons, but Iran denies the charges. The suspicions about the
program have prompted the imposition of a broadening array of United
States, United Nations and European Union sanctions.
Armenia has supported the measures, while continuing to engage in
permissible economic activity, such as swapping electricity for
natural gas from Iran with no money changing hands.
"Having Iran as your economic lifeline is not a good position to be
in," said a senior Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified
to avoid creating any tension with players in the region. "They have
been very, very careful, very, very good, at some cost to Armenia, to
honor international U.N., U.S. and E.U. sanctions against Iran. But
it's increasingly difficult for them to do that."
International election observers have fanned out across Armenia in
recent days. Initial reports suggested that Mr. Sargsyan's party had
made some inappropriate use of government resources to promote his
candidacy, a common criticism of incumbent candidates in former Soviet
republics. But observers say the overall climate has improved, with
opposition candidates, for instance, enjoying better access to
coverage by the news media.
Armenia faces a peculiar problem when it comes to potential election
fraud because of the hundreds of thousands of Armenia citizens who
live abroad, including in the United States - one of the largest
diasporas in the world, by percentage, given Armenia's population of
3.1 million, according to the World Bank.
With few exceptions, absentee voting is not permitted. As a result,
experts say, Armenia's election rolls are filled with the names of
people who will not appear in person to vote, creating the potential
for fraudulent use of those names.
Mr. Sargsyan and his wife, Rita, paused on Monday to speak with
reporters after voting at School No. 24 in Yerevan.
"I have voted for the security of our citizens and our families," he
said, according to aysor.am, an Armenian Internet news site.
From: A. Papazian
The International Herald Tribune, France
February 19, 2013 Tuesday
Victory would promote stability for ally of U.S. and aid in watching Iran
DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
MOSCOW
ABSTRACT
A second term for President Serzh Sargsyan would maintain stability in
a country that has become an increasingly important American ally
FULL TEXT
Armenians voted on Monday in a presidential election that seemed
certain to return President Serzh Sargsyan to office for a second
five-year term, and to maintain stability in a country that has become
an increasingly important, if uneasy, American ally in monitoring
Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Mr. Sargsyan, 58, a veteran politician, is generally viewed as having
presided over modest economic improvements in recent years, though
Armenia has struggled because of closed borders with Turkey and with
Azerbaijan, its enemy in a continuing war over the disputed territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mr. Sargsyan faced relatively weak competition after his two strongest
potential challengers and their parties announced last year that they
would not compete in the election - former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian of the Armenian National Congress and Gagik Tsarukyan
of the Prosperous Armenia Party. Mr. Tsarukyan is a wealthy
businessman, lawmaker and the head of Armenia's national Olympic
committee.
An exit poll of 19,130 voters conducted by Gallup International and
carried by ArmNews TV showed Ms. Sargsyan winning 58 percent of the
vote, The Associated Press reported. The closest of his six rivals,
Raffi Hovanissian, who was born in the United States and was
post-Soviet Armenia's first foreign minister, was shown with 32
percent.
But while Mr. Sargysan's victory has been predicted for months, there
have been some unexpected developments in the campaign. One
challenger, Andreas Ghukasian, a political commentator who manages a
radio station in the capital, Yerevan, has been on a hunger strike
demanding that Mr. Sargsyan be removed from the ballot.
Another challenger, Paruir A. Airikyan, was shot in the shoulder in
late January in what the authorities described as an assassination
attempt, although there was no known motive. Mr. Airikyan is a former
Soviet dissident who promoted Armenian independence and has run
unsuccessfully for president several times. He briefly considered
invoking a constitutional provision to delay the election for two
weeks as a result of his wound but ultimately decided to allow the
balloting to proceed.
Mr. Sargsyan's expected second term will be watched closely for any
sign of progress in resolving the war with Azerbaijan, and for any
indication that Armenia is reducing support for economic sanctions
against Iran, as those sanctions make life more difficult in both
countries.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh continues at a simmer, with
periodic violence along the line of contact, including frequent
exchanges of gunfire and occasional casualties. Peace talks led by the
so-called Minsk Group, which is led by the United States, Russia and
France, have mostly stalled.
With the border with Turkey still closed because of historic
animosities and Turkey's ties with Azerbaijan, Armenia has
traditionally relied heavily on Iran as an economic partner, but those
ties are now constrained by sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.
Western powers accuse Tehran of seeking the technology to build
nuclear weapons, but Iran denies the charges. The suspicions about the
program have prompted the imposition of a broadening array of United
States, United Nations and European Union sanctions.
Armenia has supported the measures, while continuing to engage in
permissible economic activity, such as swapping electricity for
natural gas from Iran with no money changing hands.
"Having Iran as your economic lifeline is not a good position to be
in," said a senior Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified
to avoid creating any tension with players in the region. "They have
been very, very careful, very, very good, at some cost to Armenia, to
honor international U.N., U.S. and E.U. sanctions against Iran. But
it's increasingly difficult for them to do that."
International election observers have fanned out across Armenia in
recent days. Initial reports suggested that Mr. Sargsyan's party had
made some inappropriate use of government resources to promote his
candidacy, a common criticism of incumbent candidates in former Soviet
republics. But observers say the overall climate has improved, with
opposition candidates, for instance, enjoying better access to
coverage by the news media.
Armenia faces a peculiar problem when it comes to potential election
fraud because of the hundreds of thousands of Armenia citizens who
live abroad, including in the United States - one of the largest
diasporas in the world, by percentage, given Armenia's population of
3.1 million, according to the World Bank.
With few exceptions, absentee voting is not permitted. As a result,
experts say, Armenia's election rolls are filled with the names of
people who will not appear in person to vote, creating the potential
for fraudulent use of those names.
Mr. Sargsyan and his wife, Rita, paused on Monday to speak with
reporters after voting at School No. 24 in Yerevan.
"I have voted for the security of our citizens and our families," he
said, according to aysor.am, an Armenian Internet news site.
From: A. Papazian