THREE MEMBERS OF MCA-ARMENIA PROGRAM’S COUNCIL OF BENEFICIARIES WILL NEITHER PROPOSE THEIR OWN CANDIDACIES NOR ENDORSE OTHER CANDIDACIES FOR UPCOMING ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 15, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The Millennium Challenge Account
(MCA) – Armenia program’s public control body – the Council of
Beneficiaries (CB), which protects the interests of 750 thousand
direct beneficiaries, has some system shortcomings in its regulations:
5 out of the 15 CB members – respresentatives of civil society also
work in the Governing Council of the program which causus a direct
clash of interests.

For this and several other reasons, three members of the CB:
Levon Barseghian, Seyran Martirosian and Arthur Sakunts (members of
Partnership for Open Society organization) stated at the September
15 press conference at Urbat Club that henceforth they consider it
inexpedient to run in the 3rd stage of the program’s elections to be
held in September. They added that in addition to Partnership for
Open Society, 41 other NGOs will neither propose their candidates
nor endorse any other candidates for the elections.

Besides, as the three members of CB said, during the July 23
regular sitting of MCA-Armenia program, the Governing Council made
a unanimous decision to reduce the program’s water construction
work by about 50-70% due to the depreciation of the dollar and a
rise in building material prices, which the CB members considered
as unacceptable. "The reduction in water constuction work in rural
areas and marzes directly hits the interests of farmers. We believe
that the dollar-dram fluctuations should not affect the interests of
farmers. The government should make a correct decision in this issue
and allocate additional sums for full implementation of the program,"
they said.

At the same time, according to the CB members, in the past two years
(the program was launched on September 29, 2006) those members of
the Council of Beneficiaries who also work in the Governing Council:
Hrachik Javadian, Ashot Voskanian, Karen Nazarian and others – have
participated in the program tenders.

The three members of the CB noted that they have spoken repeatedly
about this problem at council sittings but to no avail. "Nobody has
listened to us and taken our opinion into account. As a result we
got what we now have."