Tweet
Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 13 2012
Armenia -- at the beginning of a process
AMANDA PAUL
Last weekend Armenia held parliamentary elections. For months
beforehand the country's leadership was extremely vocal in declaring
they would be the freest, fairest and most democratic in the country's
history.
As with a number of other countries that were once part of the Soviet
Union, Armenia has a track record of flawed elections with little
genuine effort being made in the past to change. Armenia's 2007
parliamentary elections were marred by systemic irregularities, while
the 2008 presidential elections were tainted by election fraud and
violence that resulted in several deaths.
These elections were the first under a new election law, and most
Armenians, according to a Gallup poll, believed they would be freer
and fairer than hitherto. The fact that all eight parties were able to
register without any difficulty and campaign freely, suggested a good
start. The election and the pre-election period were closely monitored
by a number of different international organizations. The EU had
stressed that as part of its `more for more' approach one of the keys
to further deepening relations (including additional financial
aid/support) would be to demonstrate greater commitment to EU values,
including holding elections in line with international standards.
Compared to previous elections it is clear that progress was made. But
of course we cannot say these elections were wholly free and fair
because it is obvious they were not. Many serious problems, including
a failure to implement some important aspects of the new electoral
code, still remain and need to be addressed. While observers noted a
campaign environment that generally respected the freedoms of assembly
and expression, and candidates were, for the most part, able to
campaign freely, the general lack of confidence in the integrity of
the process amongst political parties and the general public remains
an issue of great concern.
In their 13-page preliminary conclusions of May 7, the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), PACE and the European
Parliament characterized the elections as `a competitive, vibrant and
largely peaceful campaign.' It goes on to focus on shortcomings and
violations, citing `an unequal playing field due to violations of
campaign provisions and cases of pressure on voters, as well as
deficiencies in the complaints and appeals process were cause for
concern.' Francois-Xavier de Donnea, head of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly delegation, stated `Armenia deserves recognition for its
electoral reforms and its open and peaceful campaign environment, but
in this race several stakeholders too often failed to comply with the
law, and election commissions too often failed to enforce it. As a
result, the international commitments to which Armenia has freely
subscribed were not always respected.' However, we should recall the
comments from the head of the European Parliament delegation to the
parliamentary elections in Armenia, Krzysztof Lisek, who said: `I
cannot stress enough how important it is to see these elections and
our preliminary findings in the broader context and as the beginning
of the process, not the end. Our final recommendations, once they are
published, should be taken as the goal to achieve in view of the
upcoming presidential election.' This is an extremely important point.
The EU foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine Ashton, welcomed the
efforts by the Armenian authorities but also concluded the need to
address a number of issues in order to fully meet internationally
recognized democratic standards and address the shortcomings
identified ahead of the 2013 presidential elections. Still I believe
the result will help Yerevan in its negotiations with the EU for an
Association Agreement and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
Agreement.
While Armenia will now have a more pluralistic and representative
parliament, given that seven parties passed the 7 percent threshold,
the fact that the coalition government of President Serzh Sarksyan's
Republic Party has a majority, probably means there will be little
opportunity for the opposition to have significant impact on
legislation.
In terms of Armenia's foreign policy nothing is likely to change.
Sarksyan will be gearing up for the 2013 presidential elections. He
will likely focus on the socio-economic demands of the people. There
is a lot of chatter about his main competitor being former President
Robert Kocharian, who Richard Giragosian, a Yerevan-based
think-tanker, recently labeled the `Moby-Dick' of Armenian politics --
`Everyone is looking for him, thinking about him and worried about
him.' Frankly, what Armenia really needs, as do many other countries
in this region, is a new generation of younger, educated and modern
leaders to replace the present `club of pensioners' that keeps being
regurgitated.
Armenia has a challenging period ahead, and I hope that lessons will
be learned from these elections and that the recommendations from the
international monitors will be adhered to. Each step made, no matter
how small, is to be welcomed and built on.
May 13 2012
Armenia -- at the beginning of a process
AMANDA PAUL
Last weekend Armenia held parliamentary elections. For months
beforehand the country's leadership was extremely vocal in declaring
they would be the freest, fairest and most democratic in the country's
history.
As with a number of other countries that were once part of the Soviet
Union, Armenia has a track record of flawed elections with little
genuine effort being made in the past to change. Armenia's 2007
parliamentary elections were marred by systemic irregularities, while
the 2008 presidential elections were tainted by election fraud and
violence that resulted in several deaths.
These elections were the first under a new election law, and most
Armenians, according to a Gallup poll, believed they would be freer
and fairer than hitherto. The fact that all eight parties were able to
register without any difficulty and campaign freely, suggested a good
start. The election and the pre-election period were closely monitored
by a number of different international organizations. The EU had
stressed that as part of its `more for more' approach one of the keys
to further deepening relations (including additional financial
aid/support) would be to demonstrate greater commitment to EU values,
including holding elections in line with international standards.
Compared to previous elections it is clear that progress was made. But
of course we cannot say these elections were wholly free and fair
because it is obvious they were not. Many serious problems, including
a failure to implement some important aspects of the new electoral
code, still remain and need to be addressed. While observers noted a
campaign environment that generally respected the freedoms of assembly
and expression, and candidates were, for the most part, able to
campaign freely, the general lack of confidence in the integrity of
the process amongst political parties and the general public remains
an issue of great concern.
In their 13-page preliminary conclusions of May 7, the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), PACE and the European
Parliament characterized the elections as `a competitive, vibrant and
largely peaceful campaign.' It goes on to focus on shortcomings and
violations, citing `an unequal playing field due to violations of
campaign provisions and cases of pressure on voters, as well as
deficiencies in the complaints and appeals process were cause for
concern.' Francois-Xavier de Donnea, head of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly delegation, stated `Armenia deserves recognition for its
electoral reforms and its open and peaceful campaign environment, but
in this race several stakeholders too often failed to comply with the
law, and election commissions too often failed to enforce it. As a
result, the international commitments to which Armenia has freely
subscribed were not always respected.' However, we should recall the
comments from the head of the European Parliament delegation to the
parliamentary elections in Armenia, Krzysztof Lisek, who said: `I
cannot stress enough how important it is to see these elections and
our preliminary findings in the broader context and as the beginning
of the process, not the end. Our final recommendations, once they are
published, should be taken as the goal to achieve in view of the
upcoming presidential election.' This is an extremely important point.
The EU foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine Ashton, welcomed the
efforts by the Armenian authorities but also concluded the need to
address a number of issues in order to fully meet internationally
recognized democratic standards and address the shortcomings
identified ahead of the 2013 presidential elections. Still I believe
the result will help Yerevan in its negotiations with the EU for an
Association Agreement and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
Agreement.
While Armenia will now have a more pluralistic and representative
parliament, given that seven parties passed the 7 percent threshold,
the fact that the coalition government of President Serzh Sarksyan's
Republic Party has a majority, probably means there will be little
opportunity for the opposition to have significant impact on
legislation.
In terms of Armenia's foreign policy nothing is likely to change.
Sarksyan will be gearing up for the 2013 presidential elections. He
will likely focus on the socio-economic demands of the people. There
is a lot of chatter about his main competitor being former President
Robert Kocharian, who Richard Giragosian, a Yerevan-based
think-tanker, recently labeled the `Moby-Dick' of Armenian politics --
`Everyone is looking for him, thinking about him and worried about
him.' Frankly, what Armenia really needs, as do many other countries
in this region, is a new generation of younger, educated and modern
leaders to replace the present `club of pensioners' that keeps being
regurgitated.
Armenia has a challenging period ahead, and I hope that lessons will
be learned from these elections and that the recommendations from the
international monitors will be adhered to. Each step made, no matter
how small, is to be welcomed and built on.