“Zhamanak” says that Nikol Pashinian has had achievements and made mistakes since becoming Armenia’s prime minister one year ago. The paper says those mistakes were not intentional. “The main achievement is that after a nearly 20-year hiatus we again have a totally legitimate government in Armenia as a result of the velvet revolution,” it says. “A government which was elected by the will of the people, in free and fair elections, and is now accountable to the people.” The lack of such legitimacy was the root cause of the country’s problems, according to the paper.
“Aravot” says that quite a few Armenians believe that “little has changed in the past year.” “But I am convinced that several important things have changed in the positive sense,” writes the newspaper editor, Aram Abrahamian. In particular, he says, unlike his predecessors, Pashinian is backed and trusted by the majority of people, and the current Armenian parliament was formed in free and fair elections. “As a consequences of these two changes, the public’s and media’s ability to hold the authorities in check have increased,” continues Abrahamian. “This represents a huge potential … for change. But for various reasons this potential is being used insufficiently.”
“Zhamanak” reports that a new judge has been assigned to preside over the trial of former President Robert Kocharian after one of his colleagues decided to recuse himself from the high-profile case. The paper highly critical of Kocharian wonders if the judge, Davit Grigorian, will “dare” to take up the case. It says that many judges appointed during Kocharian’s and Serzh Sarkisian’s rule are suffering from a “psychological complex” and hopes that the upcoming trial will contribute to judicial independence in the country.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
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