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THREE TO TANGO?: OPPOSITION BLOC SIGNALS 'COMMON AGENDA' DESPITE DIFFERENCES ON STRATEGIES
POLITICS | 18.11.14 | 12:15
http://armenianow.com/news/politics/58573/armenia_politics_opposition_government_trio
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Members of the three parties making up the so-called "non-governing"
trio say their differences over strategies and terms of anti-government
struggle do not prevent them from having a common agenda and calling a
special session of parliament to discuss their proposal for amendments
to Armenia's Electoral Code.
The Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) and Heritage demand that the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA) agree to amending the Electoral Code in a way that would abolish
the current mixed system of representation, including elections
by party lists and from single-member constituencies, in favor of a
100-percent party-list ballot. The non-governing forces also want lists
of voters who go to the polls to be published after the vote, something
that the government insists violates the principle of secret ballot.
According to the trio parties, a special session on the matter and
the RPA vote will show how far sincere was President Serzh Sargsyan
when he called on the government to "take a fresh look" at the 12
demands of the opposition.
"If they honor their word, the RPA majority should attend
the discussion...Serzh Sargsyan has two options: to reject the
proposals by another boycott of the majority or finally accept it,"
ANC parliamentary leader Levon Zurabyan said, according to RFE/RL's
Armenian Service.
The ANC believe that more active steps are necessary for the
opposition bloc today while the government has been "knocked down",
while the PAP advocates a different approach: to solve institutional
problems and only then resume public rallies. But political analyst
Armen Grigoryan does not consider this difference to be a major rift
between the two parties.
"If the demand of the opposition [reforms of the Electoral Code] is
met by Serzh Sargsyan, it will be possible to organize transparent
and competitive elections, which meets the interests of the trio,"
the analysts told ArmeniaNow.
Single-seat or majoritarian ballots have long been a target of
criticism by Armenia's main opposition parties that regard this type
of election as an impediment to the true political process as campaigns
in single-mandate constituencies rarely follow political patterns. They
also regard them as a tool for the ruling party to ensure its majority
even if it fails to win one through party-list elections. Supporters
of majoritarian ballots, on the contrary, argue that in the absence
of a bicameral parliament in Armenia elections from single-seat
constituencies ensure representation of all voters and regions and
a direct link between voters and their elected representatives.
Meanwhile, expert in political and electoral technologies Armen
Badalyan does not condition changes by internal political developments.
"When the trio parties raise the issue, their argument is that
pro-establishment candidates mainly win in single-seat constituencies.
But the situation is not completely like this and the Yerevan
elections (a 100-percent party list ballot) showed it, as there were
falsifications again and the Republicans won an outright majority,"
Badalyan told ArmeniaNow. (No opposition party challenged the outcome
of the 2013 elections in courts).
"For holding free and fair elections one has to solve other issues that
are on the geopolitical level rather than on the level of domestic
politics," the expert added, claiming that it is rather Moscow that
decides who will be president in Armenia.
"If the trio works well, shows that it is an ally of Moscow, it is
possible that it receives Moscow's OK to come to power."
Political analyst Armen Grigoryan, on the contrary, connects the
developments to internal political processes and the activity of the
trio itself.
"Serzh Sargsyan will give up his plans for constitutional changes if
the trio makes him to do so, otherwise Sargsyan will try to go ahead
with these changes. In fact, whether there will be constitutional
changes or not completely depends on the trio: the greater pressure
it exerts the more likely it will be that Sargsyan will finally give
up the plans," Grigoryan said.
Representatives of the trio also believe that their 12 demands mainly
regarding social and economic issues that they say because of the
indifference of the government have already become more political
demands, also dictate the agenda.
"If the current government fails to meet these demands, a new
government will do that," PAP lawmaker Stepan Margaryan said.
POLITICS | 18.11.14 | 12:15
http://armenianow.com/news/politics/58573/armenia_politics_opposition_government_trio
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Members of the three parties making up the so-called "non-governing"
trio say their differences over strategies and terms of anti-government
struggle do not prevent them from having a common agenda and calling a
special session of parliament to discuss their proposal for amendments
to Armenia's Electoral Code.
The Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) and Heritage demand that the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA) agree to amending the Electoral Code in a way that would abolish
the current mixed system of representation, including elections
by party lists and from single-member constituencies, in favor of a
100-percent party-list ballot. The non-governing forces also want lists
of voters who go to the polls to be published after the vote, something
that the government insists violates the principle of secret ballot.
According to the trio parties, a special session on the matter and
the RPA vote will show how far sincere was President Serzh Sargsyan
when he called on the government to "take a fresh look" at the 12
demands of the opposition.
"If they honor their word, the RPA majority should attend
the discussion...Serzh Sargsyan has two options: to reject the
proposals by another boycott of the majority or finally accept it,"
ANC parliamentary leader Levon Zurabyan said, according to RFE/RL's
Armenian Service.
The ANC believe that more active steps are necessary for the
opposition bloc today while the government has been "knocked down",
while the PAP advocates a different approach: to solve institutional
problems and only then resume public rallies. But political analyst
Armen Grigoryan does not consider this difference to be a major rift
between the two parties.
"If the demand of the opposition [reforms of the Electoral Code] is
met by Serzh Sargsyan, it will be possible to organize transparent
and competitive elections, which meets the interests of the trio,"
the analysts told ArmeniaNow.
Single-seat or majoritarian ballots have long been a target of
criticism by Armenia's main opposition parties that regard this type
of election as an impediment to the true political process as campaigns
in single-mandate constituencies rarely follow political patterns. They
also regard them as a tool for the ruling party to ensure its majority
even if it fails to win one through party-list elections. Supporters
of majoritarian ballots, on the contrary, argue that in the absence
of a bicameral parliament in Armenia elections from single-seat
constituencies ensure representation of all voters and regions and
a direct link between voters and their elected representatives.
Meanwhile, expert in political and electoral technologies Armen
Badalyan does not condition changes by internal political developments.
"When the trio parties raise the issue, their argument is that
pro-establishment candidates mainly win in single-seat constituencies.
But the situation is not completely like this and the Yerevan
elections (a 100-percent party list ballot) showed it, as there were
falsifications again and the Republicans won an outright majority,"
Badalyan told ArmeniaNow. (No opposition party challenged the outcome
of the 2013 elections in courts).
"For holding free and fair elections one has to solve other issues that
are on the geopolitical level rather than on the level of domestic
politics," the expert added, claiming that it is rather Moscow that
decides who will be president in Armenia.
"If the trio works well, shows that it is an ally of Moscow, it is
possible that it receives Moscow's OK to come to power."
Political analyst Armen Grigoryan, on the contrary, connects the
developments to internal political processes and the activity of the
trio itself.
"Serzh Sargsyan will give up his plans for constitutional changes if
the trio makes him to do so, otherwise Sargsyan will try to go ahead
with these changes. In fact, whether there will be constitutional
changes or not completely depends on the trio: the greater pressure
it exerts the more likely it will be that Sargsyan will finally give
up the plans," Grigoryan said.
Representatives of the trio also believe that their 12 demands mainly
regarding social and economic issues that they say because of the
indifference of the government have already become more political
demands, also dictate the agenda.
"If the current government fails to meet these demands, a new
government will do that," PAP lawmaker Stepan Margaryan said.