FROM REVOLUTION TO REFORMS
Armen Tsaturyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
03 Oct 2008
Armenia

Armenian National Congress Changes Its Strategy

If we try to thoroughly study the strategy used by the camp headed
by Levon Ter-Petrosyan during the recent two months, then we will
definitely record their course of action.

It is well known that after February 19 Presidential elections
the strategy of the various political forces gathered around Levon
Ter-Petrosyan was aimed at staging "colored revolution" and after
the tragic events of March 1 it became more evident.

But after the post-election "storm and attack", very noteworthy changes
took place in this political camp. Whole spring and summer of 2008,
was a period of "indefinite expectations" for Levon’s followers.

They were trying to convince themselves and their supporters that
the regress of the "pan-national movement" is temporary. Immediately
after the hot summer people will return from holidays, they will over
again start complaining from the "criminal administration" and the
movement will become more powerful. Which is why, after closing the
spring-summer season of the demonstrations Levon Ter-Petrosyan and
his followers promised fiery autumn.

But autumn came, September is over and it was really fiery, but in
terms of not internal but external political events. And during the
whole period the opposition, which=2 0was trying to transform from
"pan-national movement" to "Armenian National Congress" and its
leader, was evidently controlling the activeness of their most active
supporters, reasoning it by the external political processes taking
place in the region that could have allegedly harmed our country’s
interests.

But everyone knows that during the 8 years of his power the before
mentioned circle of the political figures have many times demonstrated
classical examples of the violation of national interests.

Which means the problem is quite different. Ter-Petrosyan and the
Congress formed by the latter were trying to gain time, waiting for
the failure of the new authorities. Which is why they postponed the
rally of September 5, under the plea of the visit of Turkish President
Abdullah Gyul to Yerevan, allegedly not to harm the normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations.

But the period of not harming national interests is also over. Armenian
National Congress postponed the demonstration of September 12; they
decided to hold it on September 15, because Yerevan municipality
endowed to hold meetings that day.

Our modern revolutionaries, who were accustomed to holding illegal
meetings manifested restraint and didn’t take any illegal step on
September 15.

Judging from all Levon Ter-Petrosyan was getting prepared for a
long-term political struggle. Substituting the discredited name
"Armenian Pan Na tional Movement" by "Armenian National Congress" our
ex-president intentionally moves forward the strategy of squeezing like
a sponge all the parties that have joint the congress. Representatives
of different parties and whole parties become members of the congress;
as a consequence many active representatives of "Nor Jamanakner"
and "People’s Party of Armenia" gradually but consistently leave
their parties.

The slogan of becoming a "long-term political factor" presumes, strong
and united party with lots of members, based on the political platform
of Armenian Pan National Movement. This means Ter-Petrosyan already
recorded for himself the end of the post election "storm and attack",
which is why the newly established congress slowly but consistently
gets prepared for the next parliamentary elections.

The main obstacle for the final clarification of the reformist
political guideline was the issue of the release of the detained. This
issue also seems to find its solution.

Thus during the recent weeks noteworthy and prospective processes take
place in Armenia’s political life. The period of the post-election
developments comes to a close, which was prolonged only due to the
summer holidays. And radical opposition slowly but consistently
substitutes its revolutionary course of action by reformism.