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SARKISIAN AGAIN EYES MANY PARLIAMENT SEATS FOR WEALTHY LOYALISTS
Ruzanna Stepanian
http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/24516716.html
15.03.2012
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian (C) presides over a pre-election
congress of his Republican Party in Yerevan, 10Mar2012.
Dozens of government-linked businessmen will run in Armenia's upcoming
parliamentary elections as candidates of the ruling Republican Party
(HHK) despite government pledges to significantly limit their presence
in the next National Assembly.
The wealthy individuals, virtually all of them incumbent
parliamentarians, make up the vast majority of HHK candidates in
33 of the country's 41 single-mandate constituencies. The party's
governing body headed by President Serzh Sarkisian nominated them at
a late-night meeting held on Wednesday.
The list comprises Samvel Aleksanian, one of Armenia's richest men
whose offshore-registered companies have long enjoyed a de facto
monopoly on imports of wheat, sugar and other basic foodstuffs. Also
running for reelection are the owners of a supermarket chain, and
food-processing and liquor company and the country's largest mineral
water bottler.
Some of the 33 candidates are not members of the outgoing Armenian
parliament controlled by the HHK. One of them is Mher Sedrakian, the
controversial former mayor of Yerevan's southern Erebuni district who
still holds sway there. The Armenian media has for years implicated
Sedrakian in violent attacks on opposition activists and journalists
and other illegal practices.
Top HHK representatives announced late last year that the ruling party
has decided to reduce the large number of businesspeople representing
it in the parliament. They pointed to Sarkisian's November pledge to
separate government and business as part of his reform agenda.
However, the HHK made clear that the entrepreneurs, who are notorious
for rarely attending parliament sessions, will be excluded only from
the party's list of candidates for the 90 parliament seats distributed
under the system of proportional representation. The remaining 41
seats will be up for grabs in the single-mandate districts.
About two dozen HHK-linked businesspeople were elected to the current
parliament on the party-list basis in 2007. A similar number of other
entrepreneurs got elected on an individual basis.
The HHK's intention to continue heavily relying on its richest
loyalists was denounced by opposition leaders on Thursday. Armen
Martirosian of the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party said it makes
nonsense of Sarkisian's latest pledge to radically "transform"
Armenia's political and economic systems.
"This is what their political will is all about," Martirosian told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "It is a will to continue
governing the country the way they have governed until now and put
the country at the disposal of a handful of clans and oligarchs."
HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov denied, however, any contradiction
between the president's rhetoric and actions. "If elected, these
individuals will be part of a team that will be carrying out reforms,"
Sharmazanov told RFE/RL's Armenian service.
"Being a businessman is not a bad thing," he said. "We think that
most of them have very good chances of success."
Armenian parliamentary elections held in single-seat districts
have usually been swept by rich candidates with strong government
connections. The latter are routinely accused by the media and
opposition of bribing and bullying voters.
This explains why Armenia's leading opposition groups joined forces
earlier this year to campaign for the May 6 elections to be held only
on the party-list basis. The HHK blocked the passage of a corresponding
opposition bill in the parliament late last month.
Ruzanna Stepanian
http://www.armenialiberty.org/content/article/24516716.html
15.03.2012
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian (C) presides over a pre-election
congress of his Republican Party in Yerevan, 10Mar2012.
Dozens of government-linked businessmen will run in Armenia's upcoming
parliamentary elections as candidates of the ruling Republican Party
(HHK) despite government pledges to significantly limit their presence
in the next National Assembly.
The wealthy individuals, virtually all of them incumbent
parliamentarians, make up the vast majority of HHK candidates in
33 of the country's 41 single-mandate constituencies. The party's
governing body headed by President Serzh Sarkisian nominated them at
a late-night meeting held on Wednesday.
The list comprises Samvel Aleksanian, one of Armenia's richest men
whose offshore-registered companies have long enjoyed a de facto
monopoly on imports of wheat, sugar and other basic foodstuffs. Also
running for reelection are the owners of a supermarket chain, and
food-processing and liquor company and the country's largest mineral
water bottler.
Some of the 33 candidates are not members of the outgoing Armenian
parliament controlled by the HHK. One of them is Mher Sedrakian, the
controversial former mayor of Yerevan's southern Erebuni district who
still holds sway there. The Armenian media has for years implicated
Sedrakian in violent attacks on opposition activists and journalists
and other illegal practices.
Top HHK representatives announced late last year that the ruling party
has decided to reduce the large number of businesspeople representing
it in the parliament. They pointed to Sarkisian's November pledge to
separate government and business as part of his reform agenda.
However, the HHK made clear that the entrepreneurs, who are notorious
for rarely attending parliament sessions, will be excluded only from
the party's list of candidates for the 90 parliament seats distributed
under the system of proportional representation. The remaining 41
seats will be up for grabs in the single-mandate districts.
About two dozen HHK-linked businesspeople were elected to the current
parliament on the party-list basis in 2007. A similar number of other
entrepreneurs got elected on an individual basis.
The HHK's intention to continue heavily relying on its richest
loyalists was denounced by opposition leaders on Thursday. Armen
Martirosian of the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party said it makes
nonsense of Sarkisian's latest pledge to radically "transform"
Armenia's political and economic systems.
"This is what their political will is all about," Martirosian told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "It is a will to continue
governing the country the way they have governed until now and put
the country at the disposal of a handful of clans and oligarchs."
HHK spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov denied, however, any contradiction
between the president's rhetoric and actions. "If elected, these
individuals will be part of a team that will be carrying out reforms,"
Sharmazanov told RFE/RL's Armenian service.
"Being a businessman is not a bad thing," he said. "We think that
most of them have very good chances of success."
Armenian parliamentary elections held in single-seat districts
have usually been swept by rich candidates with strong government
connections. The latter are routinely accused by the media and
opposition of bribing and bullying voters.
This explains why Armenia's leading opposition groups joined forces
earlier this year to campaign for the May 6 elections to be held only
on the party-list basis. The HHK blocked the passage of a corresponding
opposition bill in the parliament late last month.