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ELECTIONS OFFER NO ALTERNATIVE - ETHNOGRAPHER
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2012/11/01/hranush-kharatyan/
01.11.12
Below is Tert.am's interview with Hranush Kharatyan, an ethnographer
and a public figure, and a former head of the Armenian Government's
Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs.
Ms Kharatyan, how would you evaluate the configuration, the conduct
and moods of Armenia's main political forces in the run-up to the
presidential election?
People realize with a sober mind that they either didn't work or
failed to work properly, reducing their electoral resources to dust.
They now take a sober view of the things. They realize that the
attempts to unite now will be absolutely useless. Suppose the
[Armenian Revolutionary Federation-] Dashnaksutyun, the Armenian
National Congress [ANC] and the Heritage party, which never shared
a unanimous opinion, join their efforts - what then?
Don't you rule out the possibility that Dashnaksutyun may have its
own a presidential runner?
I think Dashnaksutyun will be sober enough not to have a candidate
of its own.
[ANC leader] Levon Ter-Petrosyan is silent on the issue. Do you think
it will be sober of him not to nominate himself?
I don't think Levon Ter-Petrosyan will be nominated as he realizes,
along with everything else, that it's a direct way to compromise him.
I mean, the percentage of his possible votes will totally erase his
name and political image.
But doesn't Levon Ter-Petrosyan face constraint for other factors, such
as [an obligation] not to quit the movement, the March 1 tragedy, etc?
Levon Ter-Petrosyan declared after the parliamentary election that he
has fulfilled his duty to his home country. I have personally heard
him say that, and the press addressed the topic too. I don't know who
had imposed such a duty on him but he has really made the statement.
So Levon Ter-Petrosyan thinks he has dotted the i's and crossed the
t's as far as his responsibilities are concerned.
You say those forces have never been in collaboration with one
another. But it isn't as if the controls headquarters, which operated
ahead of the National Assembly elections, had seen three forces
collaborate.
I agree with that. But they didn't share common views on the
fundamental steps addressing the country's concerns, except that they
oppose to the ruling party. As for the election monitoring, that's
a mechanical and technical phenomenon rather that an ideological or
political attitude.
If [political forces] other than Heritage refuse to nominate themselves
considering the situation analysis, won't that imply that Armenia is
little by little switching over to a biparty system?
Biparty system? Where's the second party? If you mean the Republican
and the Prosperous Armenia (PAP), they will propose a joint candidate
ahead of the election. But if that isn't the case, I see no biparty
system here. I do not see any difference between parties' positions
on the key problems of the country. It [Prosperous Armenia] is very
far from being a party; it's rather an assemblage of people."
"Perhaps an alternative, as they define?"
"I don't find PAP an alternative? Where is that alternative?"
"Voting against the Government's action plan, for instance."
"I still ask where the alternative is. Do they take a different
approach to the taxation principles, property principles and the
protection of Armenia's natural resources? Where is the alternative
that would make vote in their favor?"
"Analysts attach a major importance to the Russian factor."
"I think it is the characterization of press rather than a pronounced
position given the [PAP leader] Gagik-Tsarukyan-Russian Embassy
relations, which haven't been quite smooth recently. But the Eurasian
policies do not seem to be clearly pronounced here. And neither does
the Republican's pro-European stance. We have no clarity."
"So what choice do such circumstances offer to the voters?"
"I cannot say things on behalf of the people. I can only predict a
new term for President Serzh Sargsyan as result of the [upcoming]
elections. So we will have five more years to live the way we do now,
facing an unjust society, unfair trials and unclarified relations."
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2012/11/01/hranush-kharatyan/
01.11.12
Below is Tert.am's interview with Hranush Kharatyan, an ethnographer
and a public figure, and a former head of the Armenian Government's
Department for Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs.
Ms Kharatyan, how would you evaluate the configuration, the conduct
and moods of Armenia's main political forces in the run-up to the
presidential election?
People realize with a sober mind that they either didn't work or
failed to work properly, reducing their electoral resources to dust.
They now take a sober view of the things. They realize that the
attempts to unite now will be absolutely useless. Suppose the
[Armenian Revolutionary Federation-] Dashnaksutyun, the Armenian
National Congress [ANC] and the Heritage party, which never shared
a unanimous opinion, join their efforts - what then?
Don't you rule out the possibility that Dashnaksutyun may have its
own a presidential runner?
I think Dashnaksutyun will be sober enough not to have a candidate
of its own.
[ANC leader] Levon Ter-Petrosyan is silent on the issue. Do you think
it will be sober of him not to nominate himself?
I don't think Levon Ter-Petrosyan will be nominated as he realizes,
along with everything else, that it's a direct way to compromise him.
I mean, the percentage of his possible votes will totally erase his
name and political image.
But doesn't Levon Ter-Petrosyan face constraint for other factors, such
as [an obligation] not to quit the movement, the March 1 tragedy, etc?
Levon Ter-Petrosyan declared after the parliamentary election that he
has fulfilled his duty to his home country. I have personally heard
him say that, and the press addressed the topic too. I don't know who
had imposed such a duty on him but he has really made the statement.
So Levon Ter-Petrosyan thinks he has dotted the i's and crossed the
t's as far as his responsibilities are concerned.
You say those forces have never been in collaboration with one
another. But it isn't as if the controls headquarters, which operated
ahead of the National Assembly elections, had seen three forces
collaborate.
I agree with that. But they didn't share common views on the
fundamental steps addressing the country's concerns, except that they
oppose to the ruling party. As for the election monitoring, that's
a mechanical and technical phenomenon rather that an ideological or
political attitude.
If [political forces] other than Heritage refuse to nominate themselves
considering the situation analysis, won't that imply that Armenia is
little by little switching over to a biparty system?
Biparty system? Where's the second party? If you mean the Republican
and the Prosperous Armenia (PAP), they will propose a joint candidate
ahead of the election. But if that isn't the case, I see no biparty
system here. I do not see any difference between parties' positions
on the key problems of the country. It [Prosperous Armenia] is very
far from being a party; it's rather an assemblage of people."
"Perhaps an alternative, as they define?"
"I don't find PAP an alternative? Where is that alternative?"
"Voting against the Government's action plan, for instance."
"I still ask where the alternative is. Do they take a different
approach to the taxation principles, property principles and the
protection of Armenia's natural resources? Where is the alternative
that would make vote in their favor?"
"Analysts attach a major importance to the Russian factor."
"I think it is the characterization of press rather than a pronounced
position given the [PAP leader] Gagik-Tsarukyan-Russian Embassy
relations, which haven't been quite smooth recently. But the Eurasian
policies do not seem to be clearly pronounced here. And neither does
the Republican's pro-European stance. We have no clarity."
"So what choice do such circumstances offer to the voters?"
"I cannot say things on behalf of the people. I can only predict a
new term for President Serzh Sargsyan as result of the [upcoming]
elections. So we will have five more years to live the way we do now,
facing an unjust society, unfair trials and unclarified relations."