WITHOUT OPPOSITION FOR TEAM PLAY

KarabakhOpen
10-07-2007 10:41:27

5 candidates are running in the presidential election in
Karabakh. Member of Parliament Armen Abgaryan, who is one of the
candidates, demonstrates that he is unlikely to become president. He
does not hold meetings and declines to hold interviews.

The next candidate is Vania Avanesyan, professor at Artsakh State
University, who does not hold meetings often and explains it by
finance.

People already tell jokes about him. For instance, they say in answer
to the question what his first decree at the post of president will
be he said: "I’ll appoint myself rector of Artsakh State University."

As to the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party Hrant Melkumyan, he uses the free time on television and
radio and holds meetings with voters, mainly with the supporters of
the party.

The main opponents are Bako Sahakyan and Masis Mayilyan. According to
the chair of the Central Electoral Commission, only these candidates
have election funds. Bako Sahakyan’s fund totals about 6 million drams
(it is the maximum), Masis Mayilyan’s fund is 1 million drams, Sergey
Nasibyan said.

On the whole, the campaign is calm. Bako Sahakyan surrounded by a
number of well-known people visits the regions, meets with people and
is apparently satisfied. Masis Mayilyan also visits the regions but
prefers not to inform the media about his visits because he says if
the government learns about the place of the meeting, they "prepare"
people, and the meeting may fail. Although, the members of Masis
Mayilyan’s team say most meetings are successful because everywhere
there are people who think independently and try to make a choice on
their own.

This election campaign has a peculiarity. It finally crushed the
political sphere in Karabakh. It is difficult to indicate the platform
of the future president, because the borderline between the government
and the opposition was eventually blurred.

The process of demolition of the opposition began in 2004 when
the representative of the opposition party was elected mayor of
Stepanakert in a free election. At that time the opposition became
government and failed the test. The situation aggravated when in
the parliamentary election three representatives of the opposition
entered the parliament: Armen Sargsyan (ARF Dashnaktsutyun), Gegham
Baghdasaryan (mayor’s Movement 88 party) and the retired general Vitaly
Balasanyan. Three oppositionists vs. 30 members of the pro-government
Democratic Party and Azat Hayrenik crushed alternative opinion in
the legislature. The majority makes laws and decisions. In addition,
the three members of parliament do not pose as opposition and keep
silent for most of the time.

Nevertheless, the political sphere used to have poles, even though
they were formal, which balanced each other to some extent. On the eve
of the presidential election even this formal polarization was crushed.

The government’s candidate Bako Sahakyan (President Ghukasyan endorsed
him publicly) is supported by not only the pro-government forces but
also by the opposition. Strangely enough, during the campaign the
opposition is more active than the pro-government parties are. For
instance, during the meetings with voters Arayik Harutiunyan, leader
of the Azat Hayrenik Party, General Vitaly Balasanyan, and the
representative of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau in Artsakh Arthur
Mosiyan are seen beside Bako Sahakyan. The Democratic Party is not
seen, which only held a meeting and endorsed Bako Sahakyan.

This state of things is highly eloquent. First, it allows suggesting
that the Democratic Party will lose certain ministerial and other
executive posts if he is elected. Apparently, these posts are foreseen
for the people who are now beside Bako Sahakyan. These people now
are party leaders, members of parliament but apparently they need
ministerial posts.

However, supporters are many, posts are few. Who will get the
posts? And who will sustain the balance of powers if the opposition
is becoming government?

For the future president, whoever he might be, it will be difficult
to work in such a political sphere where everyone is a team, and
sacrifices their beliefs for the team play. As a result, the public
interests are attacked.