Elections in Armenia

[alter ego]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

YEREVAN (Presidential News Office)--Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian issued two decrees Monday appointing Edward Nalbandian and Major General Seyran Ohanian as Foreign Minister and Defense Minister, respectively.
Edward Nalbandian was Armenia's ambassador to France, Vatican, Israel and Andorra under the Robert Kocharian administration.
Since June, 2007, Seyran Ohanian served as Chief of Staff of Armenia's Armed forces and was the first deputy defense minister.
Armenia's newly formed political coalition on Friday was still in talks over the distribution of roles in the emerging Cabinet, with its newly appointed head promising the negotiations would be completed by the end of the week.
“You will be informed about decisions in a few days, but at this moment it is not correct to make any statement, because it will only hamper the discussions,” Tigran Sargsyan told reporters.
The new prime minister also defended President Serzh Sarkisian's election programs as a means to defuse tensions in society.
“I think that Serzh Sarkisian gave an exhaustive answer to all questions in his inauguration speech [Wednesday] and I fully agree with the evaluations of the republic's president, and I think the path that he has embarked on is the only way that will provide an opportunity to ensure an atmosphere of solidarity in our country,” Sargsyan (no relation to Serzh) said.
Sargsyan also asked for some time to provide answers to all questions. “I think you should give me an opportunity; Don't ask for answers to all questions now. It's only two days since I took the prime minister's job,” he said.
Former chief banker Sargsyan, who is currently not affiliated with any political party and is considered to be a technocrat manager, agreed that his new job implied a serious political component. “No economic reform can be fulfilled without political contents, and the prime minister's is a fully political post,” he said


GOOD JOB MR. SARGSYAN!!!

He seems to be very serious about creating professional team for coalition government! Both of above mentioned officials are professionals in their sphere!

[Armanen]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

I thought Mikael Harutyunyan was going to remain the Defense Minister?

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

I thought Mikael Harutyunyan was going to remain the Defense Minister?

He's been appointed as the President's advisor. http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=25762

Can someone explain to me how a Georgian is in the RA army and now appointed as the Minister of the RA's Armed Forces? http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2.../15/president/

[Armanen]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

He is Armenian by ethnicity, and he has been serving in the Armenian Armed Forces since 1992. Your questions about how this or that person can serve in the government are all bs, and just like your essence.

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

He is Armenian by ethnicity, and he has been serving in the Armenian Armed Forces since 1992. Your questions about how this or that person can serve in the government are all bs, and just like your essence.

Uh, not really. He's Georgian by (original) nationality. Of course, he was a child of the Soviet era.

Can a U.S. national regardless of ethnicity serve in the RA's armed forces? And, if the national is of Armenian ethnicity may he? Does this become different if he becomes an RA citizen?

Since Armenia's current independence, was there ever a law re: citizenship that prevented a person of alien nationality who gained citizenship to serve in the armed forces? If so, when did the law change?

[Lernakan]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

THE TIME OF PROFESSIONALS APPROACHING

Armen Tsaturyan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 16, 2008
Armenia

The human resource policy adopted by the newly elected President of
the Republic of Armenia became obvious after the nomination of the
Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and the Foreign Minister.

The choice of the before mentioned three positions testifies to
the fact that the time of the professionals is approaching. High
professionalism is the main quality that "unites" Tigran Sargsyan,
Seyran Ohanyan and Edward Nalbandyan.

If we used to express concern that the key responsible for the
country's economy, the Prime Minister, must be well aware not only of
Armenia's political and economic peculiarities, but also the current
tendencies of the world's economic and financial system, so we can
say that this issue is solved by Tigran Sargsyan's appointment.

If we used to discuss and publish a lot that the Defense Minister
must combine the qualities of a professional serviceman and a direct
participant in the military actions, with a strong will and good
personality, then we must definitely say that Seyran Ohanyan is a
perfect choice in this term.

If we used to publish and discuss a lot that the Foreign Minister
must combine his professional diplomatic knowledge, with a rich
experience of practical diplomatic activity in different countries
then this issue is also solved with Edward Nalbandyan's appointment,
who has been in diplomatic service beginning from 1978.

By these appointments S. Sargsyan displays that in the framework of
coalition cooperation he gives preference to professionalism and that
party membership is not a sufficient factor to hold positions.

Taking into account the stance adopted by the newly elected Prime
Minister, we can conclude that the presence of the kinsmen of
different party members on different levels of government will be
restricted. This circumstance will greatly contribute to the quality
of the activity of the executive body, because professional leaders
usually surround themselves with individuals of the same qualitative
parameters.

The reason is evident: if for many years it has become a tradition in
our reality that non-professional Ministers surround themselves with
non-professional assistants, at present they can't play any role in
the atmosphere of high professionalism.

Thus from the beginning of his tenure the newly elected President
proves that he intends to increase the effectiveness of the whole
state governing system, which is one of the decisive circumstances
of the continuation of reforms.

The spheres where the professionals have taken the role of the
reformers used to record a great deal of success in our reality,
during the past years. Unlike the political figures for whom reform
was an end in itself, those are usually more conservative; when they
initiate reforms in certain spheres they calculate their next step,
thus providing higher results.

The philosophy of the reforms made by the professionals is to provide
maximum productivity with minimum losses. By adopting similar mode
of action and the succession of the steps deriving from it, the new
executive power can swiftly eliminate the negative tendencies recorded
after the recent political concussions and develop the country,
in a very short period of time.

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Did you notice that yesterday Serge Sargsyan admitted, through his spokesperson, that the opposition is not merely comprised of LTP supporters. He acknowledged that one is not necessarily the other.

[alter ego]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

http://blog.ararat-center.org/?p=18

[Lernakan]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Country - In Need Of A New Opposition

COUNTRY - IN NEED OF A NEW OPPOSITION

Armen Tsatouryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 18, 2008
Armenia

The sharp and unyielding struggle of the pre-election period ended
in the formation of a quadrilateral political coalition around the
new authorities, whereas the political camp opposing the authorities
keeps preserving the mentality and status it had before February 19.

This actually is the repetition of the uncertain situation following
the 1998 and 2003 presidential elections, when the forces that united
around a particular pro-opposition figure prior to the electoral
campaign found themselves in painful and long-lasting processes.

In 1998, the role of such individual was reserved for Karen
Demirtchyan, and in 2003, it was reserved for Stepan Demirtchyan. At
present, Ter-Petrosyan has found himself in their status.

To what extent is it beneficial to the country and the political
arena to maintain the model of bi-polar confrontations resulting from
post-electoral developments?

It's obvious that:

First: the possible dialogue within the frameworks of the continuing
confrontation may certainly alleviate the internal political tension
to a certain extent, but it can never serve as a basis for civilized
relations between the authorities and the opposition, as such relations
develop only in case the debate goes around the ways of the country's
further development and not around some unfinished political processes.

Second: In view of the new developments taking place in the region,
prolonging the confrontations may become a mechanism of imposing
serious concessions on the new authorities of Armenia on the external
front, because the pro-opposition camp is supervised by forces favoring
a much more moderate foreign policy course.

Third: the perilous situation existing in the opposition camp will all
the time force the new authorities to think about neutralizing the
imminent danger instead of finding ways for reforming the political
arena.

Therefore, the model of a bi-polar confrontation formed in the
pre-election period has become an obstacle towards the country's
further development.

Such obstacle restricts the country's opportunities for further
democratization, serious economic reforms and the fair solution to
the Karabakh issue, because such tasks continue to be viewed through
the prism of disputing the elections.

That's to say, the opposition, which suffered a defeat during the
elections, is trying to block and "conserve" the post-electoral
situation, anticipating the failure of the authorities' policy. Whereas
being an inseparable part of the political system of the given
country, any normal opposition should shift its political steps to
the plane of criticizing the initiatives and programs directed at
the country's future.

As a result of the presidential elections, the playing cards of
most of the political forces, which created a certain climate in our
reality during the past ten years, were mainly hit at. The field was
xxxxxled down and suffered a great shock, creating conditions for
the formation of new political forces. The people have also divided
into two camps, one of them supporting the authorities and the others
favoring L. Ter-Petrosyan.

Therefore, the delusion of a "pro-Levon" alternative will grow weaker
in case there's an increase in the quality and quantity of the "new
alternative" opposing the policy of the new authorities. In this
respect, the post-electoral period is the time for the formation
of a third force or forces whose existence was simply ruled out in
the pre-election period. Such forces may be formed as a result of
the consolidation of the existing small parties or the creation of
new ones.

The first tendency was observed before the elections when several
national-liberal forces united with Ramkavar-liberal party. The
temporary unification of some of the former NDU members around the
"mother party" and its leader was also an evidence of the same process.

As to the inevitability of the second tendency, it is dictated by the
following obvious reality: ex-president Ter-Petrosyan's preferences
in the spheres of both foreign and domestic policy are alien to the
opposition-oriented citizens. More unacceptable are the key figures
of the political team with whom L. Ter-Petrosyan wanted to come to
power during the elections. That pro-opposition electorate has already
complied with the ex-President's proposal saying "make me your tool",
and now they are experiencing a political apathy since the "potential
tool" did not serve its purpose.

We believe that there currently exist all the political preconditions
required for the formation of a new opposition next to the authorities;
an opposition which will be more radical on the external front and
which will make demands for speeding up the paces of the reforms and
increasing their social trend.

[Lernakan]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

OLD FORMS OF STRUGGLE TO RUIN THE STATE

Gevorg Harutyunyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 18, 2008
Armenia

Leader of National Democratic Union Vazgen Manukyan met with the
journalists in "Tesaket" club, yesterday.

This is how the Leader of the National Democratic Union explained his
decision not to join Ter-Petrosyan: "We have introduced diametrically
different ideas to the people. I don't share the viewpoint that Artsakh
is a problem for our people. But I can't say that no political figure
has the right to have such standpoint. And when they say that Karabakh
people are to blame for everything and that we must throw them out
of Armenia, on the first hand it insults my national consciousness
and on the other hand it contradicts the human values. To divide
people into good or bad based on their skin color, or religion or
indigenous, is a pure manifestation of fascism. If you attentively
study our standpoints you will see that they are incompatible."

V. Manukyan confessed that he failed to understand the post-electoral
demand of the opposition: "What we demanded in 1996, at post-electoral
stage, was to recalculate the election returns. We didn't announce
that the opposition's united candidate has won and must sit in the
Presidential Palace. The same was in 2003 and the election returns
were determined at the second stage of the elections. In 2008 Levon
Ter-Petrosyan directly announced that he had obtained 65% votes and
that he must sit in the Presidential Palace. It was a really unique
demand, which derived to the terrible events of March 1."

Touching upon the current developments Leader of the National
Democratic Union underscored that he has already congratulated the
President, Serge Sargsyan, and the Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
he also said that he approves all the appointments.

"Today the issue is different. Some people long to see this government
overthrown. They think that it will bring to a new situation and
the struggle for power will acquire a new sense. But they are not
interested in what state Armenia will appear due to this "struggle".

According to the speaker there is another way: "I'm a pro-oppositional
political figure and I'm ready to help the government in power do
well. If we see that the state is facing dangerous problems and if
we see that the reforms are acceptable for us we will definitely
endorse the government. In case of problems we are ready to hold
demonstrations to protest until we attain our purpose." Vazgen
Manukyan came to a conclusion that it is not right to repeat 1988
or 1996. This method hinders the existence of powerful and serious
parties. People don't participate in the political life though they
have lots of complaints. They wait for a "hero" to appear during the
elections and withdraw the evil powers.

"In 1988 we were a different state, waging a national-liberation
struggle. Maybe I should have acted in a different way in 1996. But
one thing is clear, we will only ruin the state with the old forms
of struggle."

At the request of the correspondent of "Hayots Ashkharh" daily
Vazgen Manukyan pointed out his standpoint regarding the coming
developments. He firstly considered the adoption of the new
Constitution important, and said that only after that it will be
possible to form the state government system, through the local and
state elections.

"We have entered a stage of new changes and these changes are
unavoidable. The more fundamental changes the authorities make, the
more time they will have to govern. The overthrow of these authorities
won't do well to Armenia. It is impossible to repeat the scenario of
1996 and achieve the result of the resignation of 1998. The political
situation is different at present and the acting powers are also
different. I don't see any reasons for the President to resign and
the National Assembly to dissolve."

It also turned out that the Leader of the National Democratic Party
had met with Serge Sargsyan, responding to the latter's appeals for
dialogue: "We didn't have any

discussions regarding the positions. But I have stressed the importance
of changing the government staff and that it is indispensable to
bring Armenia out of this situation. In the present situation it is
not right to stay in proud loneliness, like a dragon standing on the
way of truth. I'm not saying that the President must resign because
I have suffered defeat and I don't like him. It is too early to draw
final conclusions, but it is possible to see the dangers and hope to
overcome them."