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Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Feb. 25, 2008
After the Election Political Situation in Armenia is still Unclear
Monday , 25 February 2008
According to the preliminary data, current Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkisyan won the 19 February presidential election in Armenia with
52.8 percent. His main competitor, former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian, got 21.5 percent, former Speaker of the Parliament
Artur Bagdasaryan - 16.66 percent and the Dashnaktsutyun party
candidate, Vagan Ovannissian, took 6.2 percent.
The CIS observers recognized that the election was democratic. The
international observers from OSCE and the European Parliament also
recognized that, all in all, the election met the international
standards but said that there was massive electoral fraud. However,
the campaign teams of the opposition candidates and the observers
belonging to local human rights organizations brought out many gross
violations of the election.
But one should take into account that on February 20 the Presidents
of France, Russia and some other states congratulated Serzh Sarkisyan
on his election, which indicates that he was supported by Moscow and
Europe.
At the same time the opposition appealed against the election
returns. In particular, Artur Bagdasaryan obtained the revision of
the results in more than one hundred polling stations. The position
of Levon Ter-Petrossian is the most radical. His supporters organized
the unlimited protest action at Freedom Square insisting that the new
elections should be called. Ter-Petrossian said that Deputy Minister
of Defense Manvel Grigoryan, to whom many veterans of the
Nagorno-Karabakh war report, had sided with him. The Ministry of
Defense has already denied this information, but there is no exact
information and this is highly charged with grave clashes.
One of the questions is what role Robert Kocharyan will play from now
on? During the election he himself answered that this was the darkest
secret in Armenia and he should be asked this question on April 9
when Serzh Sarkisyan will be inaugurated as President. It is entirely
possible that Kocharyan will become Prime Minister. Especially as
after the constitutional reforms Armenia's Prime Minister was vested
with wider powers than before 2005 when Premier was only an adjunct
to the president.
According to Serzh Sarkisyan, he is not going to change the Cabinet
drastically since it was formed only 9 months ago and is efficient.
Though, may dismiss the persons, who are the most unpopular, to
please the voters.
As regards Armenia's foreign policy after the election, a remark
should be made. There are a lot of assumptions which politicians are
pro-Russian and which are pro-Western. As a matter of fact, whoever
comes into power in Armenia, in the major issues he will have to
follow the existing direction - to create good relations with the
Russia-USA-EU triangle. Of course, various scenarios are possible,
but the Yerevan officials are not expected to change their policy
dramatically, whoever is the President. Serzh Sarkisyan is most
likely to pursue the same policy Kocharyan did in the latest years.
February 22, 2008
Eurasian Home
Feb. 25, 2008
After the Election Political Situation in Armenia is still Unclear
Monday , 25 February 2008
According to the preliminary data, current Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkisyan won the 19 February presidential election in Armenia with
52.8 percent. His main competitor, former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian, got 21.5 percent, former Speaker of the Parliament
Artur Bagdasaryan - 16.66 percent and the Dashnaktsutyun party
candidate, Vagan Ovannissian, took 6.2 percent.
The CIS observers recognized that the election was democratic. The
international observers from OSCE and the European Parliament also
recognized that, all in all, the election met the international
standards but said that there was massive electoral fraud. However,
the campaign teams of the opposition candidates and the observers
belonging to local human rights organizations brought out many gross
violations of the election.
But one should take into account that on February 20 the Presidents
of France, Russia and some other states congratulated Serzh Sarkisyan
on his election, which indicates that he was supported by Moscow and
Europe.
At the same time the opposition appealed against the election
returns. In particular, Artur Bagdasaryan obtained the revision of
the results in more than one hundred polling stations. The position
of Levon Ter-Petrossian is the most radical. His supporters organized
the unlimited protest action at Freedom Square insisting that the new
elections should be called. Ter-Petrossian said that Deputy Minister
of Defense Manvel Grigoryan, to whom many veterans of the
Nagorno-Karabakh war report, had sided with him. The Ministry of
Defense has already denied this information, but there is no exact
information and this is highly charged with grave clashes.
One of the questions is what role Robert Kocharyan will play from now
on? During the election he himself answered that this was the darkest
secret in Armenia and he should be asked this question on April 9
when Serzh Sarkisyan will be inaugurated as President. It is entirely
possible that Kocharyan will become Prime Minister. Especially as
after the constitutional reforms Armenia's Prime Minister was vested
with wider powers than before 2005 when Premier was only an adjunct
to the president.
According to Serzh Sarkisyan, he is not going to change the Cabinet
drastically since it was formed only 9 months ago and is efficient.
Though, may dismiss the persons, who are the most unpopular, to
please the voters.
As regards Armenia's foreign policy after the election, a remark
should be made. There are a lot of assumptions which politicians are
pro-Russian and which are pro-Western. As a matter of fact, whoever
comes into power in Armenia, in the major issues he will have to
follow the existing direction - to create good relations with the
Russia-USA-EU triangle. Of course, various scenarios are possible,
but the Yerevan officials are not expected to change their policy
dramatically, whoever is the President. Serzh Sarkisyan is most
likely to pursue the same policy Kocharyan did in the latest years.
February 22, 2008
Eurasian Home