Press Review

“It is becoming evident that pre-term elections are needed not so much by the opposition as by Armenia,” “Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun” writes, citing the latest developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiating process. The opposition paper claims that Armenia has until now managed to avoid accepting unfavorable peace proposals from mediators thanks to Azerbaijan’s “greed.” It says Baku has now adopted a more flexible position that could lead mediators and Russia in particular to “demand a response from us.” “But we don’t have that response. We have only one resource: regime change,” it concludes.

“Zhamanak” says statements made by Azerbaijan’s leaders demonstrate that international pressure on the conflicting parties is really strong. “It is noteworthy that Baku has started speaking about concessions by Azerbaijan,” comments the paper. “On the one hand, this is a message addressed to the mediators, and, on the other hand, to the domestic public.”

“Yerkir” believes that the composition of Armenia’s new Central Election Commission (CEC) bodes ill for the proper conduct of the next elections. The paper is particularly upset with the fact that the CEC will continue to be headed by Garegin Azarian. This, it says, “means that the authorities do not want to change the previous methodology of holding elections.”

“Hetq” says that by demanding official negotiations with the government the Armenian National Congress (HAK) has tried to gain a “special status.” “A status that allows that section of the opposition to act not only as a generator of public opinion but also as a real successor to the regime,” writes the independent weekly. “In the strategic sense, this is much more important for the Congress than the conduct of pre-term elections.” The paper says that status will increase the HAK’s credibility in the eyes of the electorate and marginalize other opposition groups.

(Tigran Avetisian)