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Press Review


Continuing to analyze the recent local elections “Azg” writes: “The ruling Republican Party had no counterbalance in the first round of the elections. From the outset the Republicans want to create a solid support base before the 2007 parliamentary elections. In this context, at least at the preliminary stage “Orinats Yerkir” and Dashnaktsutyun are incomparable passive.”

Discussing the elections with the paper, Aleksan Karapetian of Azgayin Miabanutyun notes: “They are all Republicans because the prime minister is a Republican. There will be a different prime minister tomorrow and they will all become different overnight.”

“Local elections are more a struggle among the wings of the government rather than a government-opposition struggle,” concludes AZhM leader Vazgen Manukian, adding that “if presidential elections are rigged, parliamentary elections are always worse, then local elections are usually a disgrace.”

Galust Sahakian, of the Republican Party, retorts: “If no conspicuous tension arose, naturally those were legitimate elections.”

In another article “Azg” summarizes: “The ruling party repeats the experience of the communists and HHSh. Unfortunately, now we can hardly hope that elections in the future will be any better than in the past as the authorities show no steps to let us cherish such hopes. On the contrary, in last Sunday’s elections we again witnessed the use of brutal force by the authorities and the disgusting electoral atmosphere.”

On the threshold of parliamentary elections in Nagorno Karabakh slated for June 19, ARF Movement 88 Block’s central campaign headquarters disseminated a statement published in “Haykakan Zhamanak”: “It is obvious already at this stage of the campaign that the current authorities and forces acting under their patronage, grossly violating the law, employ the entire administrative machinery to form an atmosphere of terror and despair among the population in a bid to convince them that the outcome of the elections is pre-determined.”

Gegham Baghdasarian of that bloc said to “Haykakan Zhamanak”: “The statements of the authorities about staging fair elections are not only a fiction but also a lie.”

Garnik Isagulian, advisor to Armenia’s president, who just returned from Karabakh, says to “Hayots Ashkharh”: “I think that the authorities do not support anyone in terms of the administrative resource. On the other hand, both the National Democratic Party and the opposition have similar resources.”

“Aravot” writes in its editorial that ‘PR specialists in the Kremlin have decided to set up an English-language TV channel to form Russia’s “correct” image abroad.’

“It is not excluded that our spin doctors, following the example of their Russian colleagues, will want to engage a new channel designed for the ears of foreigners with the purpose of forming Armenia’s “correct” image abroad – on the one hand there will an immature, disloyal and immoral opposition and on the other hand there will be wise, holy and stainless authorities that create thousands of jobs, ensure economic growth by leaps and bounds and strengthens the national currency like steel.”

According to “Haykakan Zhamanak”, when Robert Kocharian said during the meeting with Venice Commission representatives that people in the South Caucasus in general and in Armenia in particular want to have strong leaders he didn’t exaggerate. “Of course, he can do away with his political rivals, deprive people from suffrage, have a man who greets him in an improper manner dragged in the toilet, revolve on a horizontal bar, and even control the distribution of “golden” number plates for cars and good land-plots. Surely, to say that this is not the sign of strength would be wrong.”


(Hrach Melkumian)
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