“Zhamanak” writes: “Ex-president Robert Kocharian’s lawyer stated that his client has nothing to do with the March 1, 2008 predawn action of security forces against demonstrators in Yerevan’s Freedom Square in connection with which the Special Investigative Service has launched a new criminal probe. The lawyer said Kocharian did not give an order for a special operation. If it continues like this, the day is near when Kocharian himself or through his lawyers will declare that on March 1, 2008 he was not even the president of the Republic of Armenia and did not occupy any other high-ranking post. An interesting picture arises – the supreme commander-in-chief had nothing to do with the order on barracking the troops and had nothing to do with the police’s special operation. And what did he have to do with then as the supreme commander-in chief?”
“Hraparak” writes in its editorial: “Campaigning in Yerevan municipal elections will kick off on September 10 and will last 12 days, which is too short a period for candidates to duly present themselves to voters. Perhaps, this is the reason why the political parties and groups running in the elections have already begun to openly campaign despite the fact that this is a gross violation of the law. True, the head of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), who is in a terrified condition awaiting his resignation, gives assurances that there are no violations, but it is patently clear that politicians are not allowed to campaign before the official start of the campaigning period. In a normal country such a violation would be enough to cancel the election results afterwards at one of the candidates’ request. When once the then ruling Republican Party placed election banners in the city with large images of top candidates several days before the official start of the campaigning period the media and the public kicked up a row. The CEC then also left the matter without attention, as the election body has never done anything against the will of the governing party.”
In an interview with “168 Zham” political analyst Vadim Dubnov comments on the latest developments in Armenian-Russian relations. “Many say that there are tensions, there is a crisis in Armenian-Russian relations. But I am not of this opinion. I see no reasons for that. I think that Moscow subjects [Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinian to a little trolling as recently it has worked in this genre. But no snags should be looked for in it,” he says.
“Aravot” writes: “The problem of waste disposal persists in Yerevan. The city continues to be buried in piles with garbage. It even reminds some of the once mafia-run Italian city of Naples that experienced a waste-disposal crisis several years ago. True, the local mafia stood behind that crisis as it was financially not interested in garbage to be removed, but protests took pace there to get a solution to the problem, people called for shooting all those responsible. And in Yerevan after the ‘revolution of love and solidarity’, and even before that there have not been any Italian passions. One can say that we have an atmosphere of ‘garbage and solidarity’.”
(Tigran Avetisian)
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