Aravot, Armenia
Oct 26 2006
MAJORITY SYSTEM AS AN ADDITIONAL STYMULUS
When Hranush Hakobian says she is elected by majority system as a
parliamentarian without any falsification, she isn’t completely
sincere. Certainly, it is difficult to imagine that she keeps a band
in Gavar, which attacks on polling stations during the elections and
decide the results of the elections as other parliamentarian of
majority system do. But let Mrs. Hakobian admit if she didn’t have
good relations with Communist, then ANM and Kocharian’s regimes, if
she opposed to one of them, will she manage to fill a post in the
parliament?
The factor of fortuity sometimes operates. For example Ruben Hakobian
was elected as a parliamentarian in the Center of Yerevan in 1995 who
was the only ARF representative in the NA. In 1999 Vano Siradeghian
won in the parliamentary elections in his native Lori, when the whole
state machine was against him. In 2003, Victor Dallakian was elected
in another region of Lori. But the exception of such cases proves the
fact that nobody has succeeded in electing twice by majority system
and opposition status. The majority seats as the "reserves" of the
authority. Currently both "People’s deputy", the majority Republicans
and OEP members who left that party lately and the major part of
independent parliamentarians elected by majority system vote as the
president’s residence orders. So 37-38 seats, if not 41 of the future
parliament are in the authority’s pocket.
But the authorities have more weighty reason to keep more seats for
majority system. It’s all the same the businessman will become
parliamentarian personally or by party list. These are different
thinks in practice. The oligarch has stronger motivation to work for
the authority if he is nominated by majority system. T’s all the same
for the party it will have 63 or 56 seats in the parliament but for
the oligarch this is a matter life and death as he can fill the 57
place in the party list or doesn’t fill at all. That’s why he is
interested to solve his problems by majority system. Majority
electoral system is a special award for the oligarchs’ good work.
Aram Abrahamian