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ARMENIA: AFTER DUELING CEREMONIES, OPPOSITION AT CROSSROADS
April 9, 2013 - 3:49pm, by Marianna Grigoryan
While Serzh Sargsyan took the presidential oath on April 9 to begin
another term as Armenia~Rs president, his main challenger, Raffi
Hovhannisian, vowed to keep pressing for change. But many members of
the opposition rank-and-file are questioning whether Hovhannisian is
the right person to lead the next charge.
Sargsyan~Rs inauguration took place at the Karen Demirchyan Sports
and Concerts Complex in the Armenian capital Yerevan. Heavily armed
police units ringed the complex, a reflection of the contested nature
of the February election results. Before thousands of attendees,
and placing his hand on a 7th century bible, Sargsyan promised to
promote and protect a ~Ssecure Armenia.~T Karekin II, the Catolicos
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, also blessed Sargsyan~Rs presidency.
~SI swear to unconditionally fulfill the requirements of the
Constitution; to respect human and civil rights and freedoms; to
protect the independence of the Republic; its territorial integrity
and security for the glory of the Republic of Armenia; and for the
benefit of the people of the Republic of Armenia,~T Sargsyan stated.
Hovhannisian, along with his supporters, contend that pro-Sargyan
elements stole the presidential election. To show that they consider
Sargsyan~Rs second term to be illegitimate, tens of thousands of
Armenians gathered at Liberty Square in Yerevan to stage what an
EurasiaNet.org, NY April 9 2013
~Salternative~T inauguration for Hovhannisian. ~SPerhaps Armenia is
secure for Serzh Sargsyan and his allies, but our Armenia is in a
terrible state. People just leave the country every day and we have
come here to stand up for our votes and our country,~T an opposition
activist from the town of Vanadzor told EurasiaNet.org at Liberty
Square.
After Hovannisian took his own presidential oath, complete with his
hand on a copy of the Armenian constitution, he stated that he would
keep working to return power to the people. But he left many attendees
disappointed by not outlining next steps in the political struggle
against Sargsyan~Rs administration.
~SI charge Mr. Serzh Sargsyan and Catholicos to come to Liberty Square
and beg pardon from the people,~T Havannisian said.
A random sampling of opinion among those at Liberty Square suggests
that opposition supporters are hungering for a positive vision for
change. Since the disputed presidential elections, Hovhannisian has
led the so-called Barevolution. But beyond deriding the validity of
Sargsyan~Rs election, he has not offered a comprehensive political
alternative to the status quo.
~SWe often don't understand what Raffi Hovhannisian wants, but people
cannot rely on someone else. When I hear Raffi~Rs speeches, I realize
that nothing will change in this country and tomorrow the emigration
rates will increase again, since people just cannot place their hopes
on anything or anybody,~T an opposition supporter told EurasiaNet.org.
~SI have relatives who travelled from Moscow and Los Angeles to
take part in this rally, and now we are going to be disappointed,
since we don~Rt see here the person who can lead the people and make
a difference,~T said another Sargsyan administration critic.
Armen Badalyan, a Yerevan political expert, said the next step for
Hovhannisian~Rs Heritage Party ought to be gaining lots of seats in
the Yerevan City Council during the upcoming elections in early May.
While opposition to Sargsyan may run deep in Yerevan, support for
Hovhannisian could prove fleeting, suggested Manvel Yeghiazarian,
a former commander during the military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
and now a prominent Sargsyan critic. ~SWe have survived the famine
and fought throughout the hunger and epidemics in the 90s. We did so,
because we knew we were building Armenia,~T said Yeghiazarian. ~SBut
this vagueness is killing the people now. We need a bricklayer now,
to put it crudely, while Raffi is a dyer. This does not mean we
don't accept the dyer. He is building a house too. But today it is
the imperative to have a bricklayer.~T
After the Liberty Square festivities, Hovhannisian led opposition
supporters on a march toward the presidential residence. Riot
police blocked access to the residence, and, amid clashes, about 20
people were taken into custody. Later, Hovhannisian proceeded to the
Tsitsernakaberd memorial, dedicated to victims of the 1915 Armenian
Genocide. There, he prayed together with the chief of Armenian police,
Vladimir Gasparian. ~SI pray for Serzh Sargsyan, for the Catholicos
and for the police,~T said Hovhannisian.
Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66805
April 9, 2013 - 3:49pm, by Marianna Grigoryan
While Serzh Sargsyan took the presidential oath on April 9 to begin
another term as Armenia~Rs president, his main challenger, Raffi
Hovhannisian, vowed to keep pressing for change. But many members of
the opposition rank-and-file are questioning whether Hovhannisian is
the right person to lead the next charge.
Sargsyan~Rs inauguration took place at the Karen Demirchyan Sports
and Concerts Complex in the Armenian capital Yerevan. Heavily armed
police units ringed the complex, a reflection of the contested nature
of the February election results. Before thousands of attendees,
and placing his hand on a 7th century bible, Sargsyan promised to
promote and protect a ~Ssecure Armenia.~T Karekin II, the Catolicos
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, also blessed Sargsyan~Rs presidency.
~SI swear to unconditionally fulfill the requirements of the
Constitution; to respect human and civil rights and freedoms; to
protect the independence of the Republic; its territorial integrity
and security for the glory of the Republic of Armenia; and for the
benefit of the people of the Republic of Armenia,~T Sargsyan stated.
Hovhannisian, along with his supporters, contend that pro-Sargyan
elements stole the presidential election. To show that they consider
Sargsyan~Rs second term to be illegitimate, tens of thousands of
Armenians gathered at Liberty Square in Yerevan to stage what an
EurasiaNet.org, NY April 9 2013
~Salternative~T inauguration for Hovhannisian. ~SPerhaps Armenia is
secure for Serzh Sargsyan and his allies, but our Armenia is in a
terrible state. People just leave the country every day and we have
come here to stand up for our votes and our country,~T an opposition
activist from the town of Vanadzor told EurasiaNet.org at Liberty
Square.
After Hovannisian took his own presidential oath, complete with his
hand on a copy of the Armenian constitution, he stated that he would
keep working to return power to the people. But he left many attendees
disappointed by not outlining next steps in the political struggle
against Sargsyan~Rs administration.
~SI charge Mr. Serzh Sargsyan and Catholicos to come to Liberty Square
and beg pardon from the people,~T Havannisian said.
A random sampling of opinion among those at Liberty Square suggests
that opposition supporters are hungering for a positive vision for
change. Since the disputed presidential elections, Hovhannisian has
led the so-called Barevolution. But beyond deriding the validity of
Sargsyan~Rs election, he has not offered a comprehensive political
alternative to the status quo.
~SWe often don't understand what Raffi Hovhannisian wants, but people
cannot rely on someone else. When I hear Raffi~Rs speeches, I realize
that nothing will change in this country and tomorrow the emigration
rates will increase again, since people just cannot place their hopes
on anything or anybody,~T an opposition supporter told EurasiaNet.org.
~SI have relatives who travelled from Moscow and Los Angeles to
take part in this rally, and now we are going to be disappointed,
since we don~Rt see here the person who can lead the people and make
a difference,~T said another Sargsyan administration critic.
Armen Badalyan, a Yerevan political expert, said the next step for
Hovhannisian~Rs Heritage Party ought to be gaining lots of seats in
the Yerevan City Council during the upcoming elections in early May.
While opposition to Sargsyan may run deep in Yerevan, support for
Hovhannisian could prove fleeting, suggested Manvel Yeghiazarian,
a former commander during the military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
and now a prominent Sargsyan critic. ~SWe have survived the famine
and fought throughout the hunger and epidemics in the 90s. We did so,
because we knew we were building Armenia,~T said Yeghiazarian. ~SBut
this vagueness is killing the people now. We need a bricklayer now,
to put it crudely, while Raffi is a dyer. This does not mean we
don't accept the dyer. He is building a house too. But today it is
the imperative to have a bricklayer.~T
After the Liberty Square festivities, Hovhannisian led opposition
supporters on a march toward the presidential residence. Riot
police blocked access to the residence, and, amid clashes, about 20
people were taken into custody. Later, Hovhannisian proceeded to the
Tsitsernakaberd memorial, dedicated to victims of the 1915 Armenian
Genocide. There, he prayed together with the chief of Armenian police,
Vladimir Gasparian. ~SI pray for Serzh Sargsyan, for the Catholicos
and for the police,~T said Hovhannisian.
Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66805