Tweet
THE "JURASSIC PARK" OF ARMENIAN POLITICS
Hayk Khalatyan
PanARMENIAN News
March 19, 2012
Appearance of "political dinosaurs" like Gehamyan, Harutyunyan and
Babukhanyan on RPA list stirs huge interest.
The Council of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) approved
on March 18 its electoral lists comprising 250 candidates standing
for the parliamentary elections due on May 6. The list is quite
interesting, to say the least. For instance, the ex-speaker of the
National Assembly and head of RPA election office Hovik Abrahamyan
is placed the second while Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan comes the
third. However, the main surprise of the list is the abundance of
"strangers", representatives of other parties or new members of RPA.
PanARMENIAN.Net - "We are heading for the elections with a larger list
involving people who support policy of President Serzh Sargsyan and
are committed to contribute to implementation of these programs,"
vice-speaker of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov told the
journalists. He also reminded that RPA's previous lists as well
included people who were not RPA members, particularly, during
elections in 2003 and 2007.Still, the most surprising circumstance in
relation to the list is the emergence of "political dinosaurs" like
Artashes Gehamyan, Khosrov Harutyunyan and Hayk Babukhanyan. Steven
Spielberg is going to shoot a fourth sequel of the "Jurassic Park"
shortly, but Armenia seems to be taking the lead, with its next
parliament intending to catch up with the Jurassic Park already in
May with regard to the number of fossil characters.
Rumours about the above-mentioned figures' joining the parliament have
been circulating for quite a while; still, one wanted to believe RPA
will not go for it. The thing is not even the names these opposition
politicians used to call each other and the authorities, including the
current president Serzh Sargsyan. The question is, how the powerful
RPA can benefit from these figures who have failed in their political
careers over the past years, who once headed rather influential
political forces and now cannot even secure a parliamentary seat
without RPA's assistance.
The politicians explain their joining the RPA list by a wish to unite
efforts of the national-conservative forces. "Platforms of the RPA and
the Constitutional Right Union (CRU) are very similar, the ideology
basing on the national-conservative concept we present. That's why
I believe it is absolutely natural than CRU is standing for the
elections jointly with the RPA, with its list. I think this is clear
with regard to both ideological and political criteria," CRU head
Hayk Babukhanyan declared.
After this, the only question that emerges is how RPA members will see
parliamentary mandates gone to others who enter the National Assembly
instead of them, but due to their efforts. Many experts think that
Geghamyan and others will rather be lumber for RPA instead of providing
real support at upcoming elections.
"They will be a problem for the Republican Party of Armenia because
they are virtual people already. I realize that these people are
running for the parliament just to oppose the Armenian National
Congress (ANC). This means these people will be used against the ANC
on the parliament arena. But the RPA itself should weigh all pros
and contras. I believe their inclusion in the list will bring much
more contras than pros," Armenian political expert Karen Kocharyan
once said on the issue.
Finally, the political forecast for the potential heirs to "good
business" of Geghamyan, Harutyunyan and Babukhanyan during elections
in 2017 is as follows: if current trends are maintained, leader of
Orinats Yerkir party Artur Baghdasaryan is likely to complement or
even replace them.
Hayk Khalatyan
PanARMENIAN News
March 19, 2012
Appearance of "political dinosaurs" like Gehamyan, Harutyunyan and
Babukhanyan on RPA list stirs huge interest.
The Council of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) approved
on March 18 its electoral lists comprising 250 candidates standing
for the parliamentary elections due on May 6. The list is quite
interesting, to say the least. For instance, the ex-speaker of the
National Assembly and head of RPA election office Hovik Abrahamyan
is placed the second while Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan comes the
third. However, the main surprise of the list is the abundance of
"strangers", representatives of other parties or new members of RPA.
PanARMENIAN.Net - "We are heading for the elections with a larger list
involving people who support policy of President Serzh Sargsyan and
are committed to contribute to implementation of these programs,"
vice-speaker of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov told the
journalists. He also reminded that RPA's previous lists as well
included people who were not RPA members, particularly, during
elections in 2003 and 2007.Still, the most surprising circumstance in
relation to the list is the emergence of "political dinosaurs" like
Artashes Gehamyan, Khosrov Harutyunyan and Hayk Babukhanyan. Steven
Spielberg is going to shoot a fourth sequel of the "Jurassic Park"
shortly, but Armenia seems to be taking the lead, with its next
parliament intending to catch up with the Jurassic Park already in
May with regard to the number of fossil characters.
Rumours about the above-mentioned figures' joining the parliament have
been circulating for quite a while; still, one wanted to believe RPA
will not go for it. The thing is not even the names these opposition
politicians used to call each other and the authorities, including the
current president Serzh Sargsyan. The question is, how the powerful
RPA can benefit from these figures who have failed in their political
careers over the past years, who once headed rather influential
political forces and now cannot even secure a parliamentary seat
without RPA's assistance.
The politicians explain their joining the RPA list by a wish to unite
efforts of the national-conservative forces. "Platforms of the RPA and
the Constitutional Right Union (CRU) are very similar, the ideology
basing on the national-conservative concept we present. That's why
I believe it is absolutely natural than CRU is standing for the
elections jointly with the RPA, with its list. I think this is clear
with regard to both ideological and political criteria," CRU head
Hayk Babukhanyan declared.
After this, the only question that emerges is how RPA members will see
parliamentary mandates gone to others who enter the National Assembly
instead of them, but due to their efforts. Many experts think that
Geghamyan and others will rather be lumber for RPA instead of providing
real support at upcoming elections.
"They will be a problem for the Republican Party of Armenia because
they are virtual people already. I realize that these people are
running for the parliament just to oppose the Armenian National
Congress (ANC). This means these people will be used against the ANC
on the parliament arena. But the RPA itself should weigh all pros
and contras. I believe their inclusion in the list will bring much
more contras than pros," Armenian political expert Karen Kocharyan
once said on the issue.
Finally, the political forecast for the potential heirs to "good
business" of Geghamyan, Harutyunyan and Babukhanyan during elections
in 2017 is as follows: if current trends are maintained, leader of
Orinats Yerkir party Artur Baghdasaryan is likely to complement or
even replace them.