Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan,
13 Jan 07 p 3
Who, if not Serzh?
During a New Year reception [held in late December] for journalists,
[Armenian President] Robert Kocharian said the next president of
Armenia will not be the person they think about.
The majority of Armenians – without wishing it – see [Defence
Minister] Serzh Sargsian as the future president of Armenia. However,
it turns out – according to Kocharian’s predictions – he [Sargsian]
is not likely to lead our republic in 2008. Funny as it may sound,
this is one of those rare cases where the domestic opposition shares
Kocharian’s opinion. However, the opposition sees the forthcoming
presidential election in a completely different way. People in the
opposition camp are quite sure that 2008 will be pleasantly different
from the previous presidential elections. "The person that will get
the people’s votes can be the next Armenian president. That [Serzh]
Sargsian does not have that capacity, the people’s trust and the
number of votes, is quite clear. We will do everything to ensure the
elections are fair," Ruzan Khachatrian, a member of the PPA
[opposition People’s Party of Armenia] political council, said
yesterday. Of course, during the previous elections too, Robert
Kocharian did not have the votes and the trust, and the opposition
would regularly say that it would do everything to ensure the
fairness of the elections. What does the opposition camp count on
now? According to Khachatrian, times change; so do perceptions,
people’s patience, the international regional situation and the
demands from outside [from abroad]. The opposition is more
experienced. All the observations indicate that this time it will not
be as it was before.
When we recalled that Galust Sahakian, the chairman of the Republican
Party of Armenia faction in the National Assembly, said the day
before that the pro-government forces should help the opposition to
overcome the five-per-cent barrier to get into the new parliament
during the elections, Khachatrian replied; "I think, Galust Sahakian
needs a great help himself. Even his son [Arman Sahakian, who failed
to win a Yerevan district mayoral election last year] did not get
help from his partners."
People in the [opposition] Republic Party think that recently,
representatives of the authorities make statements that reflect the
mosaic of the discord inside the authorities. "If, for example, Serzh
Sargsian says that the Prosperous Armenia Party is not a party yet,
he means to say ‘nothing can be done against me’. Now, when Kocharian
is trying to convince journalists that only he knows the name of the
next president, the same approach is working – nobody can act against
me," Suren Sureniants, a member of the Republic Party political
council, said yesterday. He believes this faulty mechanism, the logo
of which is "nothing can be done against us", should be broken.
By the way, the Republic Party sees its leader, Aram Sargsian, as the
next president of Armenia. "Personally, my opinion is quite clear. I
think Serzh Sargsian will not be the next president. I will do my
best to ensure that Aram Sargsian becomes the next president as a
result of fair elections," Sureniants said.
National Unity Party leader Artashes Geghamian thinks that Robert
Kocharian has discredited the post of Armenian president so badly
that it should be eliminated. According to him, Armenia’s experience
shows that there can be a country with no president, and that we have
had a country without a president for the last eight years.
What do people think? Who could be the next Armenian president? The
little poll we conducted yesterday in the streets of the capital
revealed this picture.
Arnos Hovhannisian, 66, academician, International Informatization
Academy: Serzh Sargsian and [Foreign Minister] Vardan Oskanian have
real chances. Our people vote for the force. The people will not
elect Geghamian or [People’s Party of Armenia leader] Demirchian. I
would not like [tycoon and Prosperous Armenia Party leader] Gagik
Tsarukian to become president.
Hakob Grigorian, 30, philologist: Serzh Sargsian will be the
president. I feel it with my backbone.
Anush Babajanian, 40, housewife: I think the authorities have not
decided themselves who will be nominated for president.
Liana Muradian, 38, teacher: I would like to see Aram Sargsian as
president but I think the authorities would reproduce themselves this
time too.
Gor Chibukhchian, 43, economist. Serzh Sargsian is the number one
candidate. Oskanian could be a contender. But it is Serzh.
Artavazd Sargsian, 50, musician: I believe that if the opposition
acts in a more organized manner and as a united front this time, the
opposition candidate would win. For example, Artashes Geghamian, Aram
Sargsian or someone else, it is not important.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress