MERCY OF GOVERNMENT OR LAWS?

KarabakhOpen
22-03-2007 12:59:01

When democracy in Karabakh is discussed, we normally recall the
election of mayor of Stepanakert in 2004 when the opposition candidate
Edward Aghabekyan defeated the pro-government candidate. This election
inspired the people of Karabakh, demonstrating them the power of
their vote.

Then the dull routine began. The government decided to make the
public acknowledge the "cost" of electing an opposition mayor. The
legislation was amended, and the City Hall was deprived of a number
of financial levers and its independence was shortened. The powers
of the government and the City Hall were turned into a puzzle. The
mess in legislation and personal accounts let the government "lend
a hand" to the City Hall whenever it was necessary or accuse it of
inactivity. The mayor talked about this but hesitatingly, and the
society did not become involved in a public dialogue.

The controversies appeared to quiet down for a while. However, in
an important political period the "acts" of the mayor were recalled,
and accusations were put forward.

Recently the Office of the Prosecutor General has checked the City
Hall, which Edward Aghabekyan said was "groundless". In response,
the procuracy published a lengthy list of "offenses" committed by the
mayor, which concluded that charges were brought against the mayor and
dismissed during the general pardon. The mayor’s statement followed,
who announced that he had never heard about these charges. Then the
ministry of finance released a statement on considerable sums the
government had provided to the City Hall.

And so on, in the rhythm of ping-pong.

Frankly speaking, the society of Stepanakert does not care who is
to blame that the roofs are not repaired, and there is no running
water in apartments – the mayor or the prime minister. Someone has
pushed the society into empty and lengthy spats to get it forget the
key question: if the mayor is oppositionist, does he have the right
to work? What determines the work of the mayor, the prime minister,
the public official – the mercy of the government or clear-cut laws?