Armenia’s ruling Republican party seems the only political force that is taking the upcoming elections seriously, as President Serzh Sargsian makes some major reshuffles by replacing Yerevan’s Mayor Karen Karapetian, Chief of Police Alik Sargsian, Moving the NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian to run his party’s election campaign and sends his most trusted person – Mikael Minasian (son-in-law) to supervise the runner of his party’s campaign.
As the spectacular show of firings and “resignations” continues in Armenia, an amazing variety of conspiracy theories are springing up about ex-President Robert Kocharian’s plot to return, about Serzh Sargsian being determined to disrupt those plans and meeting Russia’s Vladimir Putin to run his plans past “Russian Tsar’s” ears and more.
The bottom line, however, is this – while most fellow Armenians, including myself, find these stories amusing, we understand, that all these changes mean no changes at all. They just indicate, that the authorities are very much determined to remain in power and they are taking the upcoming elections very seriously.
This runs in sharp contrast to the tactics of the existing opposition forces.
Until recently the largest opposition force – Armenian National Congress (HAK), was playing a cat and mouse games with their support base by circulating horror stories about “regime’s collapse”, “pre-term elections” and only confessing that they’re preparing for elections at the end of October.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) has launched their campaign much earlier, but we haven’t heard anything about their campaign after the rather low-key launch with a not-so-populous rally in Gyumri.
“Zharangutyun” (Heritage) is still behaving like it is not a party at all, but rather an alliance of loosely connected individuals who happened to win sits in the parliament running together in the past elections. Not a word from their elections plans so far. We’re not sure if they’re even planning to run at all?
Artur Papyan
Journalist, blogger, digital security and media consultant
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“Armenia’s ruling Republican party seems the only political force that is taking the upcoming elections seriously” … and this says it all. Don’t you think?
I think if this is the only political force taking elections seriously, then this is the only force that is worth and deserves to be in power.
As for Mikael Minasyan, yesterday he claimed that upcoming elections will be “exemplary” and will make Armenia stronger. Well, let us see, this is a very serious claim.
I had a chance to speak with him few times in a cafe few years ago and my impression was he was target-oriented, smart, progressive, had western education, but yet [then] immature to make serious political decisions.
Nevertheless, the opposition became few times weaker during all these years, in despite of political prisoners released from jails. Today’s opposition will hardly take 17% of the votes. So basically, the state would even want to make elections exemplary. Why not.
Hm! Interesting to know that about Minasyan.
By the way, “Haykakan Zhamanak” wrote about a Wikileaks cable involving Sargsian’s son-in-law. Do you happen to have a link to it somewhere?
http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/02/08YEREVAN173.html#
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Thanks, bro! That’s very helpful.
[…] Armenia’s ruling Republican party seems the only political force that is taking the upcoming elections seriously […]
I’m sure by “elections” they understand something entirely different than what elections are. You should place that word in double quotes.
Seriously, who really thinks that Armenia is willing or capable of having legitimate elections?
elections??? where????? in Hayastan?????????
LMFAMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
plz ara, dont make me laugh so hard ha
there is NO such thing as “elections” in my Hayastan
there is only “selections” as in those in power get to “se” lect who will be with them and make them rich & powerful as well
I love how these little children all come together and play “politics”
Its like when I was younger and I would play “house” with my friends & cousins. someone would be the daddy, mommy, 2 children, grandparents, etc etc… thats what I think of these little girly men, they playing house and serjik perjik is their father and all his mafiya cronies are his lil wife and children that he has to take care of them
we need to take out serjik perjiks big guns
SHOOT DOWN EVERY BIG GUN of THIS
SHOOT DOWN EVERY LAST ONE of THEM
when look at serjik, I see this very little child-like man who resembles napoleon, little man with BIG HUGE ego. also, when I see him for some weird reason I am always thinking of this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw0zZttfUaw