SERGE SARGSYAN TRIES TO SET UP A NEW "POLITBURO"
James Hakobyan

Lragir.am
12:30:32 – 06/03/2009

A lot of people wonder why the government decided to change the acting
Mayor of Yerevan and appoint to this position another person who is
the government’s candidate for Mayor a few moths before the election
of Mayor. It is really interesting, why the government did not wait
until the day of the election and only then appointed Gagik Beglaryan
Mayor of Yerevan. Why it was necessary to appoint him earlier than
May 31 when election of Mayor, or rather of Elder Council, is held and
the first number of the winner party will be elected Mayor. Perhaps,
there can be only two more or less logic explanations.

It is clear that the government decided to nominate Gagik Beglaryan
and two months before the election appoints him Mayor of Yerevan which
means that the mayoralty is important to the government in other words,
Gagik Beglaryan’s election is important. Consequently, his appointment
to this position should be viewed in the framework of the electoral
process. Of course, this is not "bicycle invention". However, it is
interesting why it was necessary to appoint Beglaryan Mayor in case he
could be appointed through elections. Sure, now his appointment is of
no problem to the government except that another staff of president
adviser’s was created for Yervand Zakharyan. However, do we20deal
now with government’s or at least Beglaryan’s impatience or there is
another more serious problem.

Probably, there is and I guess the two versions concerned with this
appointment can be determined by this big problem. And the problem is
probably connected with the elections. Perhaps, the government thinks
that it will be very difficult to hold a "traditional" election on May
31 especially considering that the Armenian National Congress (HAK)
decided to run init. Of course, mayor election is not a presidential or
even a parliamentary election but it is not a district head election
either. The economic crisis has a tangible significance too which
seems to diminish the factor of efficiency of electoral bribes as
the demand will increase both in terms of number and price and the
possibilities for it will naturally decrease. Use of force will surely
be inevitable but the government will difficultly find its explanations
for the international society on which Armenia’s financial dependence
increased let alone the presence of political monitoring.

In this case, Gagik Beglaryan assuming office may be calculated to make
such steps which will persuade the residents of Yerevan that he is a
good Mayor and is worth being elected. In other words, in upcoming two
months Gagik Beglaryan should turn Yerevan into New-Vasuky in order to
have an opportunity to be elected through fair election or at least =0
D with minimal breaches lessening government’s problems. The problem
is whether this version is feasible.

The other reason is connected to the mayoral election too. Gagik
Beglaryan’s appointment proves that after the presidential elections
of the last year the Armenian government is still unformed, the
pyramid lacks vitality and does not possess the keys of making serious
decisions which causes inner distrust and right this distrust is the
reason for Gagik Beglaryan’s appointment. In fact, it may mean that
just for now or maybe always, intentionally or not the system works
with the principle "a bird in the hand".