Tweet
What the Papers Say (Russia)
January 18, 2008 Friday
SARKISJAN LEAVES RIVALS BEHIND
by Ivan Preobrazhensky
PRESS EXTRACTS; No. 9
THE OPPOSITION IN ARMENIA SPLIT AND DIVIDED, PRIME MINISTER IS
DETERMINED TO WIN PRESIDENCY IN THE FIRST ROUND; Armenian Prime
Minister Sarkisjan is determined to be the next president. Opinion
polls show that his aspirations are not groundless at all.
Armenia will be electing the president on February 19. Political
opposition split and divided, Yerevan's prime candidate (prime
minister) Serzh Sarkisjan is determined to win the election in the
very first round.
Sarkisjan was nominated for president by the Republican Party that
won the parliamentary election in 2007. Levon Ter-Petrosjan,
ex-president whose regime was toppled in 1998, is one of his
opponents.
Nine candidates applied for participation in the presidential race.
The first observers representing the OSCE are already in Yerevan. Two
hundred and fifty foreign observers are expected, ten of them will be
representing the CIS Parliamentary Assembly.
Opinion polls conducted by Sociometer Center indicate that Sarkisjan
will poll nearly 65% in the very first round and therefore win
presidency. Ter-Petrosjan will poll 7.7% or so. According to
Sociometer Center Director Agaron Adibekjan, Arthur Bagdasarjan
(leader of the Orinats Erkir party and ex-chairman of the national
parliament) will poll 9.5%. Bagdasarjan meanwhile is known as a
pro-European politician, Sarkisjan as pro-Russian.
President Robert Kocharjan is not permitted to run for another term
of office. Odds are he will become the head of ArmRosGazprom or get a
job elsewhere (the way former chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder
was offered a job with Nord Stream). Insiders do not think that he
will become prime minister.
Source: Vedomosti, January 18, 2008, p. A2
Translated by A. Ignatkin
January 18, 2008 Friday
SARKISJAN LEAVES RIVALS BEHIND
by Ivan Preobrazhensky
PRESS EXTRACTS; No. 9
THE OPPOSITION IN ARMENIA SPLIT AND DIVIDED, PRIME MINISTER IS
DETERMINED TO WIN PRESIDENCY IN THE FIRST ROUND; Armenian Prime
Minister Sarkisjan is determined to be the next president. Opinion
polls show that his aspirations are not groundless at all.
Armenia will be electing the president on February 19. Political
opposition split and divided, Yerevan's prime candidate (prime
minister) Serzh Sarkisjan is determined to win the election in the
very first round.
Sarkisjan was nominated for president by the Republican Party that
won the parliamentary election in 2007. Levon Ter-Petrosjan,
ex-president whose regime was toppled in 1998, is one of his
opponents.
Nine candidates applied for participation in the presidential race.
The first observers representing the OSCE are already in Yerevan. Two
hundred and fifty foreign observers are expected, ten of them will be
representing the CIS Parliamentary Assembly.
Opinion polls conducted by Sociometer Center indicate that Sarkisjan
will poll nearly 65% in the very first round and therefore win
presidency. Ter-Petrosjan will poll 7.7% or so. According to
Sociometer Center Director Agaron Adibekjan, Arthur Bagdasarjan
(leader of the Orinats Erkir party and ex-chairman of the national
parliament) will poll 9.5%. Bagdasarjan meanwhile is known as a
pro-European politician, Sarkisjan as pro-Russian.
President Robert Kocharjan is not permitted to run for another term
of office. Odds are he will become the head of ArmRosGazprom or get a
job elsewhere (the way former chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder
was offered a job with Nord Stream). Insiders do not think that he
will become prime minister.
Source: Vedomosti, January 18, 2008, p. A2
Translated by A. Ignatkin