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  • Andranik Margarian's record

    Andranik Margarian's record
    by Haroutiun Khachatrian

    NT Highlights #19 (521)
    17 May, 2004

    Recently world leading media announced that Silvio Berlusconi, the
    Prime Minister of Italy, was registered in the Guinness Book of Records
    as the head of the most long-living government in his country since
    WW II. The length of the government's life is really sensational,
    no less than three years!!! Not one of fifty governments of this
    country was able to survive that long. But almost the same is true
    for the current Prime Minister of Armenia, Andranik Margaian. He marks
    the fourth anniversary in office (the previous record was 3.5 years)
    and his government too, is the most long-lived among ten cabinets of
    the post- Soviet Armenia.

    I don't think that this is a case to discuss the question on how
    does the selection of issues worth mentioning in Guinness Book of
    Records take place. Maybe, the factor of Italy's proximity to London
    matters (otherwise, Arthur Rasi-Zadeh, who occupies the office of
    the Prime Minister of Azerbiajan since 1996, would be in that book
    much earlier). However, Margarian's record is worth mentioning.

    First, it is the period of the most stable political development of
    the country. This statement strange as it may look, is nevertheless,
    correct. Despite the presidential and parliamentary elections of last
    year, the policy of the Armenian leadership remains the same since
    at least 2001. It is another question on how correct this policy is.

    Second, Margarian's cabinet is the first to demonstrate the viability
    of the balance mechanism put in the Constitution. Whereas, the in the
    first years of independence, the prime ministers were team members
    of the President, after the elections of May 1999, the government
    was formed by the majority of the Parliament, which did cooperate
    with the President, but was not part of his team. Vazgen Sargsian was
    the first Prime Minister of this type, but he was killed in less than
    five months, on October 27, 1999. His brother, Aram, tended to compete
    with the President, but failed. Margarian, who took the office in May
    2000, preferred to cooperate with Kocharian. As a result, his party
    (and his Government) have become one of the pillars of Kocharian,
    and now, after the "controversial" elections of 2003, Kocharian needs
    the support of Margarian's party even more than vice versa.

    Third, Margarian's case has put the end to the discussions about
    "technical" and "political" cabinets. Having no brilliant knowledge
    on economy, Andranik Margarian could form a rather efficient economy
    team. It not only could reach the best economy performance in Armenia's
    history and one of the best in CIS (with an average GDP real growth
    of 10.5% a year). It also has been implementing a rather correct
    development program, which includes not only efforts to increase the
    living standards in the country, but also important infrastructure
    reforms, such as introducing PIN-numbers, creating cumulative pension
    systems, improving communications and many others.

    Of course, Margarian, and his Republican Party share responsibility
    for all negative aspects of current Armenia, from violations during
    the elections to adoption of laws which create real perspective for
    Armenia to become a "Police country". Probably, they believe this
    is an affordable price for years of stability and growth. Who knows,
    maybe they are right.
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