ARMENIAN STATE TV VOWS FAIR ELECTION COVERAGE
By Irina Hovannisian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 26 2007

The head of Armenia’s state television and radio on Monday pledged to
ensure unbiased and objective coverage of the upcoming parliamentary
elections by its channels.

Aleksan Harutiunian, the recently re-appointed chairman of the
managing board of the Armenian Public Television and Radio (HHHR),
said his journalists and commentators will not seek to discredit or
attack any of the election contenders, including those opposed to
President Robert Kocharian.

"The main political forces, both in opposition and government, will
not only have equal airtime in the news and other programs but also
enjoy equal, neutral and positive treatment [by HHHR]," he told a
news conference. "There will be no smear campaigns."

Harutiunian said his TV and radio channels, that are the most
accessible in the country, will build on their coverage of the May
2003 parliamentary elections which was praised by observers from
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The observers
were far more critical of the state broadcaster’s news reporting of
the February-March 2003 presidential elections, saying that it was
extremely biased against Kocharian’s opposition challengers.

Harutiunian’s H1 channel and the private Armenian TV stations still
rarely air any criticism of Kocharian. The latter is not affiliated
with any Armenian political party but is keenly interested in the
victory of pro-presidential forces in the elections scheduled for
May 12.

The Armenian opposition has already accused the authorities of severely
restricting its access to the airwaves in the run-up to the polls. Its
leaders point to record-high prices of political advertising that
have been set by the pro-Kocharian broadcasters

But Harutiunian, who used to work as chief of Kocharian’s staff, denied
that the campaign ad fees, ranging from 80,000 to 130,000 drams ($370)
per minute, were dictated by the presidential administration. He also
dismissed opposition protests against a recent Constitutional Court
ruling that invalidated a legal provision obligating H1 to fully air
some sessions of parliament regularly featuring opposition attacks
on the government.

The court backed Harutiunian’s assertion that he decade-long provision
is unconstitutional and violates press freedom. Opposition leaders
insist, however, that it must remain in force given the lack of
independent electronic media in Armenia.

According to Harutiunian, H1 will now partly broadcast the parliament
sessions during which deputies put questions to government members
and make 3-minute statements on any topic. "No faction will see its
statements excluded from our program," he said. "It’s just that the
broadcast will be more concise."

In addition, said Harutiunian, the Armenian Public Radio will continue
live broadcasts of all National Assembly sessions for the time being.