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POLITICS VS MANAGEMENT: RPA SAYS YEREVAN ELECTIONS NOT POLITICAL, OPPOSITION DISAGREES
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/45435/armenia_yerevan_elections2013_political
POLITICS | 18.04.13 | 13:26
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN ArmeniaNow reporter
While the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) believes next
month's municipal vote in Yerevan is not of political nature, the
opposition forces contesting the elections have an opposite view.
Opposition members, in particular, say that the elections held
according to party lists are a good opportunity to defeat the political
majority. Thus, the Heritage Party of Raffi Hovannisian, which has
teamed up with several other parties in a bloc called Hello Yerevan,
believes the May 5 ballot will only reaffirm the de-facto "victory
of the Armenian people" registered in the February 18 presidential
election in which Hovannisian claims victory.
Enlarge Photo Armen Martirosyan Even the first president of Armenia,
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who cited his age (he is 68) as the main reason
for not running for president last December, said at the founding
congress of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) party last weekend
that wining in the upcoming elections in the capital is the only way
to achieve a power change in the country.
Top candidate on the Hello Yerevan bloc's list Armen Martirosyan
said during a campaign meeting in one of the capital's districts on
Wednesday: "The fact that asphalting work in the city is being done
actively is a result of a political decision. The fact that we have no
proper waste management and every official becomes head of a garbage
collection company is also a result of a political decision.
Therefore, our approach will be purely political".
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Edward Sharmazanov, who manages the
RPA's current election campaign, said that the upcoming vote is a
purely local one and unlike other political parties the RPA is not
inclined to politicize it.
"You may be a very good foreign minister, politician or orator but
still lack professionalism in this area," Sharmazanov told RFE/RL's
Armenian Service. "We will be electing administrators for the
community of Yerevan, people that are not supposed to address things
like political doctrines, foreign policy strategies, economic policy
or pension rises. That is the prerogative of the government and the
National Assembly."
While Sharmazanov named no names, it is clear that his message
and criticism were particularly directed against former coalition
partner Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), whose list of candidates in
the Yerevan elections is topped by ex-foreign minister Vartan Oskanian.
Many RPA members say and political observers agree that it is difficult
to imagine Oskanian, or Armen Rustamyan, who tops the list of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), becoming mayors
of Yerevan should their parties succeed in the elections. Both of
them are currently lawmakers with their respective parties.
It is remarkable that PAP, Dashnaktsutyun and the ANC refused to
take part in the presidential election earlier this year. PAP did
not give any explanation regarding its decision, while the ANC and
Dashnaktsutyun roughly explained it the following way: there is no
point in taking part in the race as the authorities will rig the
election outcome in favor of the government candidate in any case.
Still, even though different opposition forces now argue that Yerevan
elections are a serious opportunity to achieve a power change in
the whole of Armenia, they still appear to be unable to put their
differences aside and unite in a single front against the ruling force.
Political analysts say this inability to consolidate seriously
reduces the opposition chances for winning in the elections. They also
acknowledge that politicizing the elections is not in the interests
of the RPA as it would not need another period of political tensions
in the country so soon after the end of the post-election standoff
following the February presidential ballot.
Meanwhile, the opposition, according to expert in political and
election technologies Armen Badalyan, on the contrary, should prove
that they are fighting against the government. "The political parties
that did not contest the presidential election are keen on recovering
what they've lost, restoring voter trust, especially that the next
major elections in Armenia are to be held in four year's time only,"
said Badalyan.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/45435/armenia_yerevan_elections2013_political
POLITICS | 18.04.13 | 13:26
Photolure
By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN ArmeniaNow reporter
While the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) believes next
month's municipal vote in Yerevan is not of political nature, the
opposition forces contesting the elections have an opposite view.
Opposition members, in particular, say that the elections held
according to party lists are a good opportunity to defeat the political
majority. Thus, the Heritage Party of Raffi Hovannisian, which has
teamed up with several other parties in a bloc called Hello Yerevan,
believes the May 5 ballot will only reaffirm the de-facto "victory
of the Armenian people" registered in the February 18 presidential
election in which Hovannisian claims victory.
Enlarge Photo Armen Martirosyan Even the first president of Armenia,
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who cited his age (he is 68) as the main reason
for not running for president last December, said at the founding
congress of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) party last weekend
that wining in the upcoming elections in the capital is the only way
to achieve a power change in the country.
Top candidate on the Hello Yerevan bloc's list Armen Martirosyan
said during a campaign meeting in one of the capital's districts on
Wednesday: "The fact that asphalting work in the city is being done
actively is a result of a political decision. The fact that we have no
proper waste management and every official becomes head of a garbage
collection company is also a result of a political decision.
Therefore, our approach will be purely political".
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Edward Sharmazanov, who manages the
RPA's current election campaign, said that the upcoming vote is a
purely local one and unlike other political parties the RPA is not
inclined to politicize it.
"You may be a very good foreign minister, politician or orator but
still lack professionalism in this area," Sharmazanov told RFE/RL's
Armenian Service. "We will be electing administrators for the
community of Yerevan, people that are not supposed to address things
like political doctrines, foreign policy strategies, economic policy
or pension rises. That is the prerogative of the government and the
National Assembly."
While Sharmazanov named no names, it is clear that his message
and criticism were particularly directed against former coalition
partner Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), whose list of candidates in
the Yerevan elections is topped by ex-foreign minister Vartan Oskanian.
Many RPA members say and political observers agree that it is difficult
to imagine Oskanian, or Armen Rustamyan, who tops the list of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), becoming mayors
of Yerevan should their parties succeed in the elections. Both of
them are currently lawmakers with their respective parties.
It is remarkable that PAP, Dashnaktsutyun and the ANC refused to
take part in the presidential election earlier this year. PAP did
not give any explanation regarding its decision, while the ANC and
Dashnaktsutyun roughly explained it the following way: there is no
point in taking part in the race as the authorities will rig the
election outcome in favor of the government candidate in any case.
Still, even though different opposition forces now argue that Yerevan
elections are a serious opportunity to achieve a power change in
the whole of Armenia, they still appear to be unable to put their
differences aside and unite in a single front against the ruling force.
Political analysts say this inability to consolidate seriously
reduces the opposition chances for winning in the elections. They also
acknowledge that politicizing the elections is not in the interests
of the RPA as it would not need another period of political tensions
in the country so soon after the end of the post-election standoff
following the February presidential ballot.
Meanwhile, the opposition, according to expert in political and
election technologies Armen Badalyan, on the contrary, should prove
that they are fighting against the government. "The political parties
that did not contest the presidential election are keen on recovering
what they've lost, restoring voter trust, especially that the next
major elections in Armenia are to be held in four year's time only,"
said Badalyan.
From: A. Papazian