POLITICAL SITUATIONS – NOT MANNA FROM HEAVEN
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

NAIRA ZOHRABRYAN, member of "Prosperous Armenia" parliamentary faction
gives answers to our questions regarding the unusually peaceful
daybreaks of the pre-electoral autumn and the second advent of the
ex-President, a more or less outstanding event in this dull panorama.

"How do you account for the Opposition’s passive posture and the
widespread uncertainty prevailing in this field several months prior
to the elections?"

"I wouldn’t say that there is uncertainty prevailing inside the
Opposition camp. The situation that prevails inside there now
is the one we have eye-witnessed so many years. That is, the same
disorientation, disorganization, incomplete awareness of one’s goals
and activities, roughly speaking – the same uncertain situation.

This has already become a characteristic atmosphere in which they
manage to survive quite well. I think this situation will continue
both in the pre-election period and after the presidential elections."

"However, agree with me that the pro-Opposition leaders have never
had such a modest conduct. They all seem to be in a kind of expectant
situation, they are trying not to show off, so to say."

"The thing is that a slight positive development was really observed
in the Opposition’s conduct during the recent years; they realized
that the times for staging revolutions and climbing up the barricades
are past, and by appointing hours for revolutions (e.g. at 12:45 or
13:47 p. m) they have scattered the small number of the resources they
had among the public. Perhaps, they already realize themselves that
in case they go on like that, they may become not only unconceivable
but also ridiculous. Perhaps this is the reason they are trying not
to show off too much.

I believe there certain tendency of livening will, nonetheless, be
observed in the pre-election period. But I am sure that this will
not be the same livening that existed prior to the 2003 presidential
elections, because a considerable part of the people still trusted
the Opposition then and had some hopes for them. Unfortunately, the
Opposition itself reduced the level of public trust almost to zero."

"Whereas the public layers supporting the Armenian pan-National
Movement are convinced that in case of joining the electoral campaign,
the ex-President will spoil the game, creating a qualitatively new
situation both inside the pro-Government and the pro-Opposition camp."

"New political situations are not manna from heaven, and the
developments that serve as a turning point never spring from
statements, decrees and declarations. Political pre-requisites are
required for changing the political situation. Presently, I don’t
see the political pre-requisites that can drastically change the
situation of the pre-election period and establish new game rules on
the political arena. Levon Ter-Petrosyan has only submitted a claim
for participating in the upcoming political processes.

Nevertheless, the conversations that the ex-President will come with
a new political team are at least strange to me in the present-day
situation, because likewise political situations which are not
manna from heaven, the political teams are never set up without
any background. In any case, I didn’t see new faces among the
people standing behind Levon Ter-Petrosyan in "Marriot-Armenia"
hotel. Perhaps, this is the ‘surprise’ that the first President
prepared for us. Therefore, let’s wait and not run ahead of time.

If we are speaking about the political situation that exists at
the present moment, I really don’t see the turning points that can
change the coalition’s action plan during the upcoming presidential
elections."

"Anyway, isn’t it strange that Levon Ter-Petrosyan announces, on the
one hand, that the ‘settlement’ of the Karabakh Issue is the only clue
providing solution to all the problems of Armenia, and he hasn’t yet
decided what to do because he has no such solution and, on the other
hand, he visits the office of Dashnaktsutyun after a short while and
‘confirms’ his intention of running for presidency? In such situation,
which is the true alternative with which the Armenian pan-National
Movement is going to make a public appearance?"

"Yesterday I addressed the same question to one of Levon Ter-Petrosyan
team members, leader of the Armenian Liberal Progressive Party
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. He said that the first President will, in
the near future, introduce his doctrine, i.e. what solution he sees
to all the problems. And that time they will give the answer to the
questions the public is interested in.

Anyway, I didn’t see any solution, any program in Mr. Ter-Petrosyan’s
September 21 speech. Perhaps, he has that program.

The assessments can be made only after he makes a final decision on
his nomination and introduces the conceptual approaches and ideas
regarding the solution to the existing problems and first of all –
the Karabakh issue.