“Haykakan Zhamanak” says the upcoming parliamentary elections will be significantly different from past Armenian elections not just because there will be no more vote buying and abuse of administrative resources but also because they will lack a “political component.” The paper edited by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s wife says that campaign platforms of the election contenders will hardly of interest to voters this time around. It says this will be especially true for the former ruling Republican Party (HHK). Also, it says, Armenians supporting Pashinian’s My Step bloc will not really care about its election manifesto. They will vote for My Step simply because they “pin great hopes on Nikol Pashinian,” according to the paper.
“Past” notes that a number of well-known parties have decided not to participate in the December 9 elections. They claim to be thus giving Pashinian and his team a chance to live up to the popular expectations. The paper laughs off these explanations, arguing that none of these parties can win more than 1 percent of the vote at the moment. “These forces and politicians need to realize that if they give someone a chance then that someone is themselves,” it says. “By not participating [in the elections] those forces are getting a chance not to vanish from the political arena and to take part in future political cycles.”
“Zhoghovurd” reports that Belarus’s ambassador to Azerbaijan has briefed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on recent developments relating to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The paper views this as a further manifestation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s pro-Azerbaijani stance.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Facebook Forum