“Azg” claims that the ruling Republican Party (HHK) is seeking to prevent one of its junior coalition partners, the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), from doing well in the May 31 municipal elections in Yerevan. “Just how it will do that is not yet clear because the BHK is investing more money in the election campaign,” says the paper. “Besides, a large part of the administrative resources cater for [the BHK.] The BHK is keen to prove that it is an equal partner and perhaps more so, in hopes of gaining sufficient levers in the form of government posts.” The paper also thinks that the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) can at best poll 25 percent of the vote.
Commenting on violent attacks on HAK activists in Yerevan’s Avan district, “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” says that “such actions can not produce any practical benefits” for the Armenian authorities because opposition supporters will vote for the HAK in any case. “As for the neutral electorate, seeing that on one side is a political force and on the other street hooligans, it will slowly lean towards the opposition,” says the opposition daily. “It is already evident that the authorities will rely only on vote falsifications in the upcoming elections,” it says.
“Hayots Ashkhar” criticizes the police investigation into the beating of Argishti Kivirian, editor of the Armenia Today news service. The paper accuses police investigators of ignoring strong evidence that the attackers also fired gunshots during the assault. Its points to photographs showing two cartridge cases lying at the scene of Kivirian’s beating. The paper says the police similarly mishandled other high-profile crimes. “It is terrifying to imagine how many shortcomings there have been in the investigations of so-called ordinary cases,” it concludes.
Speaking to “Aravot,” Gegham Baghdasarian, a member of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament, criticizes Armenia’s leadership for keeping details of its negotiations with Turkey confidential. “We must unanimously demand the disclosure of the [Turkish-Armenian] roadmap and present details of the agreement to the public,” he says. Baghdasarian also demands the disclosure of peace proposals discussed at the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.
(Aghasi Yenokian)
Commenting on violent attacks on HAK activists in Yerevan’s Avan district, “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” says that “such actions can not produce any practical benefits” for the Armenian authorities because opposition supporters will vote for the HAK in any case. “As for the neutral electorate, seeing that on one side is a political force and on the other street hooligans, it will slowly lean towards the opposition,” says the opposition daily. “It is already evident that the authorities will rely only on vote falsifications in the upcoming elections,” it says.
“Hayots Ashkhar” criticizes the police investigation into the beating of Argishti Kivirian, editor of the Armenia Today news service. The paper accuses police investigators of ignoring strong evidence that the attackers also fired gunshots during the assault. Its points to photographs showing two cartridge cases lying at the scene of Kivirian’s beating. The paper says the police similarly mishandled other high-profile crimes. “It is terrifying to imagine how many shortcomings there have been in the investigations of so-called ordinary cases,” it concludes.
Speaking to “Aravot,” Gegham Baghdasarian, a member of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament, criticizes Armenia’s leadership for keeping details of its negotiations with Turkey confidential. “We must unanimously demand the disclosure of the [Turkish-Armenian] roadmap and present details of the agreement to the public,” he says. Baghdasarian also demands the disclosure of peace proposals discussed at the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.
(Aghasi Yenokian)