“We are not going to give up nuclear energy, I want this position to be clear once and for good,” “Hayastani Hanrapetutyun” highlights Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s statement made at a recent Atomic Energy Council meeting.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” writes, referring to the gathering of the Compatriotic Union: “Despite the fact that the country’s prosecutor general is not allowed by law to campaign for or against the question put to a referendum, Aghvan Hovsepian organized such a propaganda event under the weight of which, perhaps, no law would bear.”
According to Article 20 of the Law on the Referendum, judges are now allowed to be involved in campaigning activities. Presenting this provision, “Aravot” reminds: “Despite this, the Union of Judges of Armenia recently issued an appeal for a “yes” vote in the constitutional referendum.” On the paper’s pages, Deputy Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian explains: “These draft constitutional changes directly concern the judges and it would be simply strange if they didn’t express their stance on this important issue for their system.”
“Hey, journo, who are you to have an idea of what democracy is,” writes “Azg” with irony, responding to Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian who recently replied to a journalist’s remark about the presence of military in town on the day of mayoral elections in Echmiadzin with the following: “I don’t think your ideas about democracy can be deeper than those of international observers who were there and gave a corresponding evaluation. We are building a nation proceeding from these criteria and not from the criteria of our mass media representatives.” Meanwhile, in “Azg’s” evaluation, international observers have learned how to work in Armenia, how to adapt to exclusively local democracy requirements, and they no longer see shortcomings during elections and publish cautious preliminary views looking up to the positions of the country’s authorities.
“168 Zham”, quoting sources close to the president, reports: “There was a rather serious and tough conversation a few days ago between [President] Robert Kocharian and [Parliament Speaker] Artur Baghdasarian about the latter’s somewhat “opposition” speeches and posturing in the recent period. Though, as a result of this conversation, the paper writes, the president decided that it is Artur Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir party that he would entrust with the coordination of the coalition’s “YES” campaign for the constitutional amendments.
“Aravot” editorializes that the presence of parties in electoral commissions opens vast opportunities for what the paper calls ‘electoral business’. As a matter of fact, parties do not function, small Ltd’s work with their average profits, and it turns out that representatives of the super-opposition party work in electoral commissions to the benefit of super-pro-government parties. “Aravot” adds, though, that these observations concern local elections and not the constitutional referendum.
(By Hrach Melkumian)
“Haykakan Zhamanak” writes, referring to the gathering of the Compatriotic Union: “Despite the fact that the country’s prosecutor general is not allowed by law to campaign for or against the question put to a referendum, Aghvan Hovsepian organized such a propaganda event under the weight of which, perhaps, no law would bear.”
According to Article 20 of the Law on the Referendum, judges are now allowed to be involved in campaigning activities. Presenting this provision, “Aravot” reminds: “Despite this, the Union of Judges of Armenia recently issued an appeal for a “yes” vote in the constitutional referendum.” On the paper’s pages, Deputy Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian explains: “These draft constitutional changes directly concern the judges and it would be simply strange if they didn’t express their stance on this important issue for their system.”
“Hey, journo, who are you to have an idea of what democracy is,” writes “Azg” with irony, responding to Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian who recently replied to a journalist’s remark about the presence of military in town on the day of mayoral elections in Echmiadzin with the following: “I don’t think your ideas about democracy can be deeper than those of international observers who were there and gave a corresponding evaluation. We are building a nation proceeding from these criteria and not from the criteria of our mass media representatives.” Meanwhile, in “Azg’s” evaluation, international observers have learned how to work in Armenia, how to adapt to exclusively local democracy requirements, and they no longer see shortcomings during elections and publish cautious preliminary views looking up to the positions of the country’s authorities.
“168 Zham”, quoting sources close to the president, reports: “There was a rather serious and tough conversation a few days ago between [President] Robert Kocharian and [Parliament Speaker] Artur Baghdasarian about the latter’s somewhat “opposition” speeches and posturing in the recent period. Though, as a result of this conversation, the paper writes, the president decided that it is Artur Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir party that he would entrust with the coordination of the coalition’s “YES” campaign for the constitutional amendments.
“Aravot” editorializes that the presence of parties in electoral commissions opens vast opportunities for what the paper calls ‘electoral business’. As a matter of fact, parties do not function, small Ltd’s work with their average profits, and it turns out that representatives of the super-opposition party work in electoral commissions to the benefit of super-pro-government parties. “Aravot” adds, though, that these observations concern local elections and not the constitutional referendum.
(By Hrach Melkumian)