MARKARIAN DOWNPLAYS VOTER CYNICISM
By Armen Dulian and Anna Israelian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 29 2006

Prime Minister Andranik Markarian on Friday downplayed opinion
polls suggesting that most Armenians believe their country is on the
wrong track.

Markarian also said that his government plans to draw up a new program
to combat endemic corruption in Armenia. In a yearend interview with
RFE/RL, he admitted that its anti-corruption measures taken so far
have not had desired effects.

A U.S.-funded nationwide opinion poll conducted last month found that
58 percent of voters think Armenia is going in the wrong direction.

Only one third of some 1,200 randomly polled people said the economic
situation in the country is improving. The two previous surveys
conducted the Armenian Sociological Association in August and May
produced similar results.

"In all normal countries, there is discontent," said Markarian. "Take
the United States or European Union countries. There is discontent
in all of them."

Markarian also complained that the question put to respondents was not
specific enough. "What track are they unhappy with? What government
steps are they unhappy with? Democracy? Yes, we admit that there is
a lack of democracy here, and we are taking legislative and other
steps to increase democracy."

"Isn’t the very fact that I am sitting in your studio today a gesture
of democracy?" he reasoned.

Markarian insisted that Armenia’s double-digit economic growth, which
is set to continue for a sixth consecutive year, has boosted living
standards despite the uneven distribution of its benefits. But he did
acknowledge increased income disparity resulting from widespread tax
evasion and government corruption.

"Our anti-corruption measures have not been as effective as we hoped,"
he said. "That is one of our failings."

The government unveiled in late 2003 a three-year plan of actions aimed
at tackling bribery and other corrupt practices. Many Armenians feel
that the scale of graft has not decreased and may have grown even
bigger since then. Local and international anti-graft watchdogs say
the plan has been ineffectual because of its excessive emphasis on
legislative measures.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development made a
similar point in a special report released on December 18." The OECD
said that although Armenia has taken several steps to improve action
against corruption "the number of convictions for corruption is low,
especially for high-ranking officials, and more efforts must be made
to investigate allegations and bring cases to court."

Markarian revealed that the government will ask Western donors to
help it draw up a new strategy that will "ascertain mechanisms for
putting the [anti-graft] legislative framework into practice." But
he again rejected the idea of creating a powerful anti-corruption
agency which is favored by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun), a junior partner in his governing coalition.

"Dashnaktsutyun wanted to create a monster agency that would go after
people and solve some issues," he said. "That is, to do things that
are supposed to be done by the police or the prosecutor’s office …

The government was naturally against that because that would only
create new breeding ground for corruption."

Turning to internal political issues, the 51-year-old premier confirmed
that his Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) will be seeking to retain
its governing status and the largest faction in parliament in elections
due next May. He said the election results will determine who will
be the HHK’s candidate in the 2008 presidential election. The party
is widely expected to nominate Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian for
the presidency.

Analysts believe that the HHK’s grip on power will be challenged not
only by the Armenian opposition but also a rapidly growing party set
up last year by Gagik Tsarukian, a millionaire businessman close to
President Robert Kocharian. The party called Prosperous Armenia has
already raised eyebrows by distributing relief aid and providing free
medical services to tens of thousands of poor voters. Representatives
of the country’s mainstream political forces, including some HHK
leaders, have denounced what they see as a massive vote buying
operation.

Markarian also disapproved of Tsarukian’s "benevolent actions." "Such
things have to be done by charities and private individuals,"
he said. "A party can not engage in such activities … I have a
negative attitude to such phenomena."

The HHK leader claimed at the same time that the politically motivated
benevolence will not influence the election outcome.

"Experience has shown that even if they accept handouts, the people
eventually do what they wanted to do [during elections]," he said.

Prosperous Armenia’s emergence is widely linked with President
Robert Kocharian’s intention to retain a key role in government
after he completes his second and final term in office in 2008. Some
commentators have speculated that Kocharian has set his sights on
the post of prime minister.

"The president did not express such a desire in his conversations
with me," countered Markarian.