“There can be no second government force in Armenia,” writes “Zhamanak.” “Such a thing is possible in a country where there the government is formed on the basis of the constitution, the laws and the public vote. In Armenia, the authority is very far from that basis. Therefore, it is also far from having one, two, three or four forces. In Armenia, the authority is represented by a single force that can only have different wings.” The paper says as that the example of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) demonstrates, those wings are relentlessly crushed by the regime if they break the ranks.
“Hayots Ashkhar” comes up with what it considers the key characteristics of a typical Armenian “oligarch.” For those individuals, writes the paper, Armenia is a colony that can be plundered but cannot be a place of long-term residence for their families. “The oligarchs have created an amazing system,” it says. “Migrating from the government to business and the other way around, they distorted both the government and relations with it. A peculiar oligarchic-administrative microcosm came into existence. Government officials and entrepreneurs spend their holidays together, their children study in the same universities, and their wives go to the same shops.”
“The oligarchs have greatly contributed to the extreme criminalization of our society that makes any political and economic undertakings meaningless and has become one of Armenia’s main problems,” continues “Hayots Ashkhar.” “Why fight for democracy and human rights when only crooks and oligarchs sponsoring them can make use of that?”
“Yerkir” reports that a group of local and Moscow-based pro-government youth organizations have announced plans to open a “Putin Club” in Yerevan that would promote Russia’s powerful prime minister and raise public awareness of his policies. “In principle, we have nothing against Putin,” comments the paper. “But do we have to support his [presidential] candidacy? It is the Russian people, not us, who should elect Putin if they want to.” The paper wonders if the authors of the initiate will also open a similar club in Moscow named after Serzh Sarkisian or another Armenian leader.
(Tigran Avetisian)
“Hayots Ashkhar” comes up with what it considers the key characteristics of a typical Armenian “oligarch.” For those individuals, writes the paper, Armenia is a colony that can be plundered but cannot be a place of long-term residence for their families. “The oligarchs have created an amazing system,” it says. “Migrating from the government to business and the other way around, they distorted both the government and relations with it. A peculiar oligarchic-administrative microcosm came into existence. Government officials and entrepreneurs spend their holidays together, their children study in the same universities, and their wives go to the same shops.”
“The oligarchs have greatly contributed to the extreme criminalization of our society that makes any political and economic undertakings meaningless and has become one of Armenia’s main problems,” continues “Hayots Ashkhar.” “Why fight for democracy and human rights when only crooks and oligarchs sponsoring them can make use of that?”
“Yerkir” reports that a group of local and Moscow-based pro-government youth organizations have announced plans to open a “Putin Club” in Yerevan that would promote Russia’s powerful prime minister and raise public awareness of his policies. “In principle, we have nothing against Putin,” comments the paper. “But do we have to support his [presidential] candidacy? It is the Russian people, not us, who should elect Putin if they want to.” The paper wonders if the authors of the initiate will also open a similar club in Moscow named after Serzh Sarkisian or another Armenian leader.
(Tigran Avetisian)