Tweet
ARMENIA: PRE-ELECTION SITUATION - 1
Vestnik Kavkaza
Oct 26 2012
Russia
David Stepanyan, Yeveran. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
According to information circulating in the Armenian parliament,
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia will organize extra session in
December, where its leader, President Serge Sargsyan, will be proposed
to be a candidate in the presidential elections of 2013. The Central
Election Committee hasn't defined the date of the elections yet,
but most probably they will take place on February 18th.
At the moment none of main candidates for presidentship hasn't stated
officially on his intentions. Such a situation appears in the republic
for the first time. The uncertainty was caused by absence of agreement
between leading political parties - RPA and Prosperous Armenia.
The closer the date of the elections, the more difficulties appear
in relations of previous allies. Sargsyan and a probable rival from
PA will compete also with several other politicians: leaders of the
union National Self-Identity Parujr Airikyan and the party New Times
Aram Karapetyan, the chairman of Peoples Party Tigran Karapetyan, the
chairman of the opposition party Heritage Raffi Ovannosyan. After the
July session, the leaders of Dashnaktsutyun also stated on possible
presentation of their own candidate.
Even today we can say that all these politicians will play no real
role in the elections. Their task is to provide legitimization of the
current authorities who prepare for next reproduction. The question
whether the opposition will present a unified candidate is also acute.
However, there are few chances for it.
After first presidential elections in Armenia in 1991, a strange
tradition appeared: to deal who will be next president ahead of
elections. Elections only fixed agreements of interested sides.
Previously the strategy of artificial competition between parties was
effective and provided reproduction of the regime in various levels
of power. Corruptive nature of Armenian politicans - pro-governmental
and pseudo-opposition - caused the tendency when political forces
separated from the society and began to lie their own life.
It led to indifference of the society to political processes.
Disorientation took place in the Armenian society: the majority of
electorate doesn't trust the power and the opposition, preferring not
to go to elections at all or spoil ballots. There were 54 thousand
spoiled ballots in the parliamentary elections on May 6. 54 thousand
voters and several hundred thousand citizens who ignored the elections
are the best confirmation of indifference caused by political processes
in Armenia.
Really strong rivals for Sargsyan could be only his predecessors -
Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan; however, observers exclude
a possibility of their participation. Ter-Petrosyan is thought to be
an active player of the Armenian politics, but it would be reasonable
for him not to go to the elections as the ANC lost a significant part
of its supporters after March 1st, 2008.
Kocharyan has chances, but they are shadowy, as well as his whole
activity in recent years. The chances are expressed in a moderate
figure of Prosperous Armenia's chairman Gagik Tsarukyan. Nevertheless,
Tsarukyan keeps silence and states no attitude to the elections. It
seems he is waiting for somebody's decision. However, it is obvious
that such a powerful force as Prosperous Armenia will do its part.
To be continued.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/33013.html
Vestnik Kavkaza
Oct 26 2012
Russia
David Stepanyan, Yeveran. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
According to information circulating in the Armenian parliament,
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia will organize extra session in
December, where its leader, President Serge Sargsyan, will be proposed
to be a candidate in the presidential elections of 2013. The Central
Election Committee hasn't defined the date of the elections yet,
but most probably they will take place on February 18th.
At the moment none of main candidates for presidentship hasn't stated
officially on his intentions. Such a situation appears in the republic
for the first time. The uncertainty was caused by absence of agreement
between leading political parties - RPA and Prosperous Armenia.
The closer the date of the elections, the more difficulties appear
in relations of previous allies. Sargsyan and a probable rival from
PA will compete also with several other politicians: leaders of the
union National Self-Identity Parujr Airikyan and the party New Times
Aram Karapetyan, the chairman of Peoples Party Tigran Karapetyan, the
chairman of the opposition party Heritage Raffi Ovannosyan. After the
July session, the leaders of Dashnaktsutyun also stated on possible
presentation of their own candidate.
Even today we can say that all these politicians will play no real
role in the elections. Their task is to provide legitimization of the
current authorities who prepare for next reproduction. The question
whether the opposition will present a unified candidate is also acute.
However, there are few chances for it.
After first presidential elections in Armenia in 1991, a strange
tradition appeared: to deal who will be next president ahead of
elections. Elections only fixed agreements of interested sides.
Previously the strategy of artificial competition between parties was
effective and provided reproduction of the regime in various levels
of power. Corruptive nature of Armenian politicans - pro-governmental
and pseudo-opposition - caused the tendency when political forces
separated from the society and began to lie their own life.
It led to indifference of the society to political processes.
Disorientation took place in the Armenian society: the majority of
electorate doesn't trust the power and the opposition, preferring not
to go to elections at all or spoil ballots. There were 54 thousand
spoiled ballots in the parliamentary elections on May 6. 54 thousand
voters and several hundred thousand citizens who ignored the elections
are the best confirmation of indifference caused by political processes
in Armenia.
Really strong rivals for Sargsyan could be only his predecessors -
Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan; however, observers exclude
a possibility of their participation. Ter-Petrosyan is thought to be
an active player of the Armenian politics, but it would be reasonable
for him not to go to the elections as the ANC lost a significant part
of its supporters after March 1st, 2008.
Kocharyan has chances, but they are shadowy, as well as his whole
activity in recent years. The chances are expressed in a moderate
figure of Prosperous Armenia's chairman Gagik Tsarukyan. Nevertheless,
Tsarukyan keeps silence and states no attitude to the elections. It
seems he is waiting for somebody's decision. However, it is obvious
that such a powerful force as Prosperous Armenia will do its part.
To be continued.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/33013.html