CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENCY SERGE SARGSIAN PROMISES TO FIGHT BRIBERY AND
CORRUPTION AND TO CONTINUE RAISING PENSIONS
YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The reforms of the second generation
will have a direct impact on the well-being of the whole people. This
was mentioned in RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsian’s preelection program.
It was mentioned that an efficient manpower market is needed to provide
people with a job, which will give a possibility to disclose
unemployment’s structure and will enable to implement target retraining
programs. Creation of efficient, competitive scientific and educational
system meeting the requirements of time is considered as important in
the program.
According to the program, medicine will be affordable for everybody.
The quality of medical services will be essentially improved thanks to
introduction of new, high technologies in the health sphere. Steps will
be undertaken to make Armenia a health center in the region. Country’s
resort centers (Jermuk, Arzni, Dilijan, Aghveran) will be modernized
for that purpose.
The candidate for presidency considers raising salaries as a very
important social problem in consideration that pension will be
considerably higher than poverty limit. Parallel to it the work on
introduction of multi-level pension system will continue, including
introduction of accumulation pension system. "Our population should
learn to economize. The young generation should assume responsibility
of secure old age by taking part in the pension security accumulation
system," the program mentioned.
It was also mentioned that it is impossible to implement the second
generation reforms without formation of an efficient government system.
In particular, it is envisaged to introduce the electronic government
system, which will ensure rendering of state services at state
government and local self-government institutions through Internet by
reducing the contact between a state official and a citizen to minimum
and considerably reducing corruption risks. According to the candidate,
fighting bribery and corruption will be one of the pivotal issues of
his policy. "Solution of problems connected with corruption, shadow
economy, unequal competition conditions is in the sphere of efficient
management and requires harmonious change of government technologies,
means and methods," the program mentioned.
According to the program, disproportionate territorial development is a
serious obstacle for country’s socio-economic development. It is
supposed to move some functions from Yerevan to other regions for
improving this situation. Prevention of migration of population from
remote and border regions is also considered important. The necessity
of a complex approach to the issue of development of the whole
territory of Armenia, elaboration of a national program of territorial
development under the concept State-Private Partnership was mentioned.