(Saturday, November 10)
A Russian political analyst, Alexei Malashenko, assures “168 Zham” that Armenia’s failure to replace Yuri Khachaturov by another Armenian secretary general of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty (CSTO) will not seriously hurt its relationship with Russia. Malashenko argues that Russian-Armenian military ties remain strong. But, he says, the CSTO issue could be exploited by political opponents of the new Armenian government.
“Zhoghovurd” reports that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) is poised to release its list of candidates for the December 9 parliamentary elections. The paper expects to see few new names there, saying that prominent part figures such as Armen Rustamian, Artsvik Minasian and Davit Lokian will also run for the parliament on an individual basis. It notes that unlike in the last elections both Dashnaktsutyun and other major parties are planning to have their leading members run in nationwide constituencies as well. It wonders whether this will help Dashnaktsutyun win seats in the next National Assembly.
“Those who resent the new government’s staffing policy and the incompetence of newly appointed officials are certainly right,” editorializes “Hraparak.” “They are right to believe that because of young and inexperienced rulers there has been -- and there will be -- a catastrophic decline in professionalism in our country. And the complaints of those people who say that the former cadres did a better job and were more competent and efficient in their areas are absolutely understandable. But we cannot fail to counter that under the former regime there was corruption, stagnation and a tradition of getting things done through nepotism … and other vicious practices. It is certainly too early to be happy and claim that corruption has been eliminated, that only worthy individuals will be promoted and that we have already gotten out of the swamp … But there is no doubt that the new government has breathed a fresh life, aroused hopes and showed corrupt officials and weeds grown in shadow of their rich daddies their place.”
(Tatev Danielian)
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