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YEREVAN VOTE 2013: OPPOSITION GROUPS SEE NO CHANCE OF RPA WINNING SUNDAY POLLS
POLITICS | 02.05.13 | 11:01
Photolure
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent
Major opposition forces participating in the May 5 elections to
Yerevan's Council of Elders rule out the possibility of the current
ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and its mayor Taron Margaryan
retaining power in the Armenian capital.
Enlarge Photo
Enlarge Photo
Under the election law that pertains to the Yerevan municipal vote,
a political party, or a bloc of parties, that manages to receive more
than 40 percent of the vote will automatically have its top candidate
installed as mayor. If neither party or bloc can get that majority, the
decision will be collectively upon the newly elected Council of Elders.
Earlier this week the opposition Armenian National Congress Party (ANC)
turned to the Prosecutor-General's Office, asking it to inquire into
the legality of the wealth officially declared by 35-year-old mayor
Margaryan and worth several million dollars. The ANC wants prosecutors
to find out whether the incumbent mayor used any levers of power in
the acquisition of the property that he officially declared to be
the owner of.
Speaking at an ANC rally on April 30 the opposition party's leader
Levon Ter-Petrosyan claimed that attempts to have a candidate like
Margaryan reelected show that [President] Serzh Sargsyan "does not
give a damn about public opinion."
Representatives of the RPA have dismissed such statements by the
opposition leader, insisting that Margaryan has been one of the most,
if not the most, popular mayor of Yerevan ever and has deserved
reelection due to his hard work praised by many residents of the
capital. They also consider it normal that Margaryan, the son of
late Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan and former popular prefect
of the administrative district of Avan, should be in possession of
such property.
Meanwhile, at the rally, Ter-Petrosyan described the upcoming elections
in Yerevan as 'politically crucial for the regime'. At the same time,
he addressed a friendly call to all political forces and civil society
organizations to put aside their differences and give "a decisive
battle to the regime on May 5 to recover Yerevan from its claws."
"Unfortunately, the authorities realize the gravity of the moment
better than many of the [other] parties. This is evidenced by their
reverting to violence, terror, provocations, especially against ANC
and Prosperous Armenia Party activists," said Ter-Petrosyan.
Several incidents have occurred during the current election campaign.
In one of them an ANC activist was assaulted presumably by RPA
loyalists while canvassing for his party in a Yerevan suburb. In
another major incident a reporter with a pro-opposition paper covering
an RPA campaign meeting was assaulted by one of the candidates of
the ruling party.
In Ter-Petrosyan's opinion, an opposition bloc can be formed after
the elections to prevent the RPA from reinstalling its mayor. But
before that the opposition claims the RPA will try to rig the vote
to secure the number of seats in the 65-member body required for the
automatic election of the mayor. In particular, one of the allegations
is that non-residents of Yerevan will be brought to the capital on
Election Day to vote. Under law, citizens who are not registered in
Yerevan but live in the capital for at least three years can also
take part in the vote. Some experts believe the authorities may try
to benefit from this legal provision by having loyalists from the
regions participating in the vote.
At a rally on May 1, Raffi Hovannisian, a former presidential candidate
and leader of another opposition party, Heritage, which is contesting
the May 5 elections as part of the Hello Yerevan bloc, said that a
new situation will emerge in the country after next Sunday's elections
and that this situation will be unimaginable without Hello Yerevan.
Hovannisian, whose finish with 37 percent of the vote in last
February's presidential election came as a surprise to a great
many political observers, spoke of another surprise in store for
the government on May 5. "The government will not last for another
5 years... and after May 5, Taron Margaryan, the son of Andranik
Margaryan, with all due respect to him, will not be the mayor of the
capital," said the opposition leader.
Meanwhile, the Prosperous Armenia Party, which calls itself
an 'alternative' rather than opposition yet, continues an active
campaign, confident of the outright victory of its top candidate,
former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian. While many experts
still see a possibility of PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan striking another
coalition deal with President Sargsyan after the Yerevan elections,
several representatives of PAP have ruled out the possibility of the
party's returning to the RPA-dominated government.
POLITICS | 02.05.13 | 11:01
Photolure
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow correspondent
Major opposition forces participating in the May 5 elections to
Yerevan's Council of Elders rule out the possibility of the current
ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and its mayor Taron Margaryan
retaining power in the Armenian capital.
Enlarge Photo
Enlarge Photo
Under the election law that pertains to the Yerevan municipal vote,
a political party, or a bloc of parties, that manages to receive more
than 40 percent of the vote will automatically have its top candidate
installed as mayor. If neither party or bloc can get that majority, the
decision will be collectively upon the newly elected Council of Elders.
Earlier this week the opposition Armenian National Congress Party (ANC)
turned to the Prosecutor-General's Office, asking it to inquire into
the legality of the wealth officially declared by 35-year-old mayor
Margaryan and worth several million dollars. The ANC wants prosecutors
to find out whether the incumbent mayor used any levers of power in
the acquisition of the property that he officially declared to be
the owner of.
Speaking at an ANC rally on April 30 the opposition party's leader
Levon Ter-Petrosyan claimed that attempts to have a candidate like
Margaryan reelected show that [President] Serzh Sargsyan "does not
give a damn about public opinion."
Representatives of the RPA have dismissed such statements by the
opposition leader, insisting that Margaryan has been one of the most,
if not the most, popular mayor of Yerevan ever and has deserved
reelection due to his hard work praised by many residents of the
capital. They also consider it normal that Margaryan, the son of
late Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan and former popular prefect
of the administrative district of Avan, should be in possession of
such property.
Meanwhile, at the rally, Ter-Petrosyan described the upcoming elections
in Yerevan as 'politically crucial for the regime'. At the same time,
he addressed a friendly call to all political forces and civil society
organizations to put aside their differences and give "a decisive
battle to the regime on May 5 to recover Yerevan from its claws."
"Unfortunately, the authorities realize the gravity of the moment
better than many of the [other] parties. This is evidenced by their
reverting to violence, terror, provocations, especially against ANC
and Prosperous Armenia Party activists," said Ter-Petrosyan.
Several incidents have occurred during the current election campaign.
In one of them an ANC activist was assaulted presumably by RPA
loyalists while canvassing for his party in a Yerevan suburb. In
another major incident a reporter with a pro-opposition paper covering
an RPA campaign meeting was assaulted by one of the candidates of
the ruling party.
In Ter-Petrosyan's opinion, an opposition bloc can be formed after
the elections to prevent the RPA from reinstalling its mayor. But
before that the opposition claims the RPA will try to rig the vote
to secure the number of seats in the 65-member body required for the
automatic election of the mayor. In particular, one of the allegations
is that non-residents of Yerevan will be brought to the capital on
Election Day to vote. Under law, citizens who are not registered in
Yerevan but live in the capital for at least three years can also
take part in the vote. Some experts believe the authorities may try
to benefit from this legal provision by having loyalists from the
regions participating in the vote.
At a rally on May 1, Raffi Hovannisian, a former presidential candidate
and leader of another opposition party, Heritage, which is contesting
the May 5 elections as part of the Hello Yerevan bloc, said that a
new situation will emerge in the country after next Sunday's elections
and that this situation will be unimaginable without Hello Yerevan.
Hovannisian, whose finish with 37 percent of the vote in last
February's presidential election came as a surprise to a great
many political observers, spoke of another surprise in store for
the government on May 5. "The government will not last for another
5 years... and after May 5, Taron Margaryan, the son of Andranik
Margaryan, with all due respect to him, will not be the mayor of the
capital," said the opposition leader.
Meanwhile, the Prosperous Armenia Party, which calls itself
an 'alternative' rather than opposition yet, continues an active
campaign, confident of the outright victory of its top candidate,
former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian. While many experts
still see a possibility of PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan striking another
coalition deal with President Sargsyan after the Yerevan elections,
several representatives of PAP have ruled out the possibility of the
party's returning to the RPA-dominated government.