“168 Zham” is pessimistic about the likely impact of the impending resignation of Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian and other ministers and the appointment of a new Armenian government. The paper says the authorities are only trying to feed the disgruntled public with an “illusion” of change in the country.
“Just because a person is honest does not mean that he or she can work as prime minister or minister,” editorializes “Aravot.” “These are political posts and without the consent of the formal, namely parliamentary, and informal, namely oligarchic, majority, their holders cannot implement their programs.” The paper says Armenia has already had weak prime minister not enjoying the backing of this majority, pointing to Armen Sarkisian, Armen Darbinian and Tigran Sarkisian.
“We did not have particularly great achievements under their watch,” it says. “There have also been strong prime ministers such as Robert Kocharian and Vazgen Sarkisian but their ambitions to gain full power were always inevitable. The [next] prime minister must therefore balance his weakness and strengthen at least until the spring of 2018 so that the situation remains stable.” The paper also says that despite President Serzh Sarkisian’s recent pledge to form a “government of national accord” opposition parties are unlikely to join it with only several months to go before the 2017 elections.
“Hayots Ashkhar” reports that the governing body of Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) may well end speculation about the next prime minister’s candidacy and the makeup of his cabinet when it meets in Yerevan on Thursday. “They key thing is to introduce clarity,” says the pro-establishment paper.
“Hraparak” wonders how long Karen Karapetian, a former Yerevan mayor tipped to succeed Abrahamian, will “last” as prime minister. The paper believes that he will have about 18 months to achieve positive changes in the Armenian economy. It says Karapetian will have a chance to prove his worth during this “fairly long period of time.”
(Hovannes Movsisian)