“Aravot” deplores “lack of fresh ideas in the Armenian opposition camp.” “Most oppositionists have been saying things that the public wants to hear for the past ten years.” People are told that they are being plundered and ignored by the authorities and that the opposition will change this situation once in power. But the problem is that Armenia has already seen a change of government, which has not changed its essence. This is why Armenians no longer buy such promises. The opposition will stand no chance of ousting the current “illegitimate” authorities unless it comes up with a new positive agenda.
Commenting on the crisis in the HZhK, “Haykakan Zhamanak” concludes that Stepan Demirchian has won the battle. The “coup” plotted by pro-government members of the party has failed. Demirchian tells the paper that many forces want to cause a split in the HZhK but he won’t allow that to happen.
Demirchian makes the same assurances to “Hayots Ashkhar.” “They cannot break the HZhK, this is out of question,” he says. But the paper thinks that the rift is far from being over.
Meanwhile, parliament speaker Armen Khachatrian repeats his accusations directed at the HZhK leadership in an interview with “Iravunk.” Demirchian, he says, is surrounded by “unknown people who call themselves politicians but have no idea of state, statehood and constructive policy.”
According to “Yerkir,” the HZhK case illustrates the inherent weakness of “personalized” parties. This and other party rifts also show that the current authorities prefer to rely on “oligarchy and bureaucracy” as opposed to “ideological structures” with clearly defined political interests.
“During Robert Kocharian’s three years in power almost all of Armenia’s political forces have split or disintegrated,” one of the presidents bitter foes and a former government minister, Vahan Shirkhanian tells “Iravunk.” “The country now has a president who doesn’t have a political majority in parliament and a support base outside it. Whom is he governing?” Shirkhanian says Kocharian was elected president with the help of the late Vazgen Sarkisian and several parties, none of which support him now. He also claims that the Armenian public regards Kocharian as an illegitimate president who stole victory from Karen Demirchian in the 1998 election. This, he says, is not a good foundation for political stability.
(Vache Sarkisian)
Commenting on the crisis in the HZhK, “Haykakan Zhamanak” concludes that Stepan Demirchian has won the battle. The “coup” plotted by pro-government members of the party has failed. Demirchian tells the paper that many forces want to cause a split in the HZhK but he won’t allow that to happen.
Demirchian makes the same assurances to “Hayots Ashkhar.” “They cannot break the HZhK, this is out of question,” he says. But the paper thinks that the rift is far from being over.
Meanwhile, parliament speaker Armen Khachatrian repeats his accusations directed at the HZhK leadership in an interview with “Iravunk.” Demirchian, he says, is surrounded by “unknown people who call themselves politicians but have no idea of state, statehood and constructive policy.”
According to “Yerkir,” the HZhK case illustrates the inherent weakness of “personalized” parties. This and other party rifts also show that the current authorities prefer to rely on “oligarchy and bureaucracy” as opposed to “ideological structures” with clearly defined political interests.
“During Robert Kocharian’s three years in power almost all of Armenia’s political forces have split or disintegrated,” one of the presidents bitter foes and a former government minister, Vahan Shirkhanian tells “Iravunk.” “The country now has a president who doesn’t have a political majority in parliament and a support base outside it. Whom is he governing?” Shirkhanian says Kocharian was elected president with the help of the late Vazgen Sarkisian and several parties, none of which support him now. He also claims that the Armenian public regards Kocharian as an illegitimate president who stole victory from Karen Demirchian in the 1998 election. This, he says, is not a good foundation for political stability.
(Vache Sarkisian)