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EurasiaNet.org, NY
April 8 2013
Armenia: Will Presidential Inauguration Spell Double Trouble?
April 8, 2013 - 9:42am, by Giorgi Lomsadze
Armenians on April 9 can choose which of two presidential
inaugurations they wish to attend; a choice which could take the
divided country to the next stage of the protracted power struggle
between Serzh Sargsyan, the official president-elect, and Raffi
Hovhannisian, the feel-good opposition leader who says he just wants
an oath for "a new Armenia."
Sargsyan and Hovhannisian have tried to keep their joust peaceful,
but, given Armenia's history of post-election violence, tension is in
the air. Sargsyan's inauguration will take place in the National
Assembly with foreign dignitaries, officials and clergymen in
attendance. Hovhannisian, in the meantime, has invited the
discontented to gather at Yerevan's central Liberty Square for `a
little bit of song and dance' -- a frequent occurrence at Armenian
opposition rallies -- followed by a formal declaration of the
"people's" (ergo, Hovhannisian's) victory, and a march .
The legitimacy of either event is in the eyes of the beholder. Many in
Armenia, worn out by a sour economy and political strife, have had
enough of Sargsyan for the past five years and say they saw enough
election fraud during the February presidential vote to accuse him of
pocketing another term. But many others contend that Hovhannisian is
just a sore loser.
The two ceremonies, therefore, most likely will largely be an exercise
in outnumbering and outshouting each other.
`Mr. Sargsyan and the ruling party...have confused themselves with the
state,' the California-born Hovhannisian told RFE/RL in a live video
interview. He called the Sargsyan swearing-in unconstitutional and
un-Christian, noted that he'd urged his rival "to get real," and
invited the president-elect to come to Liberty Square for what he
termed a day of national unity. As a way to defuse tensions,
Hovannisian has proposed to Sargsyan that they both quit fighting and
have a rerun vote.
That and other Hovannisian proposals have been dismissed as
delusional, but with Hovannisian, now off his hunger strike, trying to
drum up support across the country, and some sizable opposition forces
(the Prosperous Armenia Party, the Armenian National Congress) still
sitting on the fence, Sargsyan has not ignored him.
Yet while Sargsyan, mindful of the ten deaths that followed the 2008
presidential elections, has been emphasizing communication over
conflict, he already has secured international acceptance of his
victory and, arguably, has the state machinery on his side.
At this point, a joining of hands and a singing of "Kumbaya" in the
center of Yerevan is far less likely than the continuance of Armenia's
chronic case of national disunity.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66792
April 8 2013
Armenia: Will Presidential Inauguration Spell Double Trouble?
April 8, 2013 - 9:42am, by Giorgi Lomsadze
Armenians on April 9 can choose which of two presidential
inaugurations they wish to attend; a choice which could take the
divided country to the next stage of the protracted power struggle
between Serzh Sargsyan, the official president-elect, and Raffi
Hovhannisian, the feel-good opposition leader who says he just wants
an oath for "a new Armenia."
Sargsyan and Hovhannisian have tried to keep their joust peaceful,
but, given Armenia's history of post-election violence, tension is in
the air. Sargsyan's inauguration will take place in the National
Assembly with foreign dignitaries, officials and clergymen in
attendance. Hovhannisian, in the meantime, has invited the
discontented to gather at Yerevan's central Liberty Square for `a
little bit of song and dance' -- a frequent occurrence at Armenian
opposition rallies -- followed by a formal declaration of the
"people's" (ergo, Hovhannisian's) victory, and a march .
The legitimacy of either event is in the eyes of the beholder. Many in
Armenia, worn out by a sour economy and political strife, have had
enough of Sargsyan for the past five years and say they saw enough
election fraud during the February presidential vote to accuse him of
pocketing another term. But many others contend that Hovhannisian is
just a sore loser.
The two ceremonies, therefore, most likely will largely be an exercise
in outnumbering and outshouting each other.
`Mr. Sargsyan and the ruling party...have confused themselves with the
state,' the California-born Hovhannisian told RFE/RL in a live video
interview. He called the Sargsyan swearing-in unconstitutional and
un-Christian, noted that he'd urged his rival "to get real," and
invited the president-elect to come to Liberty Square for what he
termed a day of national unity. As a way to defuse tensions,
Hovannisian has proposed to Sargsyan that they both quit fighting and
have a rerun vote.
That and other Hovannisian proposals have been dismissed as
delusional, but with Hovannisian, now off his hunger strike, trying to
drum up support across the country, and some sizable opposition forces
(the Prosperous Armenia Party, the Armenian National Congress) still
sitting on the fence, Sargsyan has not ignored him.
Yet while Sargsyan, mindful of the ten deaths that followed the 2008
presidential elections, has been emphasizing communication over
conflict, he already has secured international acceptance of his
victory and, arguably, has the state machinery on his side.
At this point, a joining of hands and a singing of "Kumbaya" in the
center of Yerevan is far less likely than the continuance of Armenia's
chronic case of national disunity.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66792