Friday,
Opposition Bloc Decries Sweeping Powers Of Next Armenian PM
• Hovannes Movsisian
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian holds an awards ceremony at the
presidential palace in Yerevan, 19 January 2018.
Opposition lawmakers again protested on Friday against sweeping powers that
will be given to Armenia’s next prime minister, saying that they run counter to
the parliamentary system of government.
The lawmakers representing the Yelk alliance tried in vain to prevent the
National Assembly from passing in the second reading a bill on the structure
and powers of a new government to be formed after Armenia becomes a
parliamentary republic next month.
In particular, the bill drafted by the Justice Ministry stipulates that
Armenia’s police and National Security Service (NSS) will be directly
subordinate to the premier, rather than his cabinet. Critics say this is aimed
at enabling President Serzh Sarkisian to retain his current authority after his
final presidential term ends on April 9. Sarkisian is widely expected to become
prime minister later in April.
Yelk proposed that both the police and the NSS be given the status of
government ministries headed by cabinet members accountable to the parliament.
The parliament’s pro-government majority rejected this amendment.
Edmon Marukian, one of Yelk’s leaders, declared shortly before the passage of
the bill that Armenia is about to switch to a “false parliamentary system.” “In
essence, the current authorities never intended to lead the country to
parliamentary governance,” he said.
Parliament majority leaders denied that. Eduard Sharmazanov, a deputy
parliament speaker, claimed that the prime minister’s direct control over the
police and the NSS will “increase the degree of their political responsibility.”
“We are creating not the post of super prime minister but a prime minister who
will bear absolute political responsibility towards the people and the
parliament,” Gevorg Kostanian, another senior pro-government lawmaker, said for
his part.
Under Armenia’s radically amended constitution, the prime minister will also be
the Armenian army’s commander-in-chief. He or she will nominate members of the
army’s top brass that will have to be appointed by the president of the
republic.
In addition, the next Armenian premier will head a Security Council tasked with
determining “the main directions of defense policy.”
Media Access To Yerevan Council Sessions Restricted
• Narine Ghalechian
Armenia - Journalists interview leaders of the opposition Yerkir Tsirani party
attending a session of Yerevan's municipal council, 13 February 2018.
The Armenian parliament approved on Friday a government proposal to essentially
ban reporters from attending sessions of Yerevan’s municipal council.
Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian moved to impose such a ban last month just days
after an embarrassing brawl witnessed by journalists.
Two members of the city council representing the opposition Yerkir Tsirani
party were confronted by their pro-government colleagues when they tried to
hand Markarian glass containers filled with sewage collected from a damaged
sewer pipe in the city’s Nubarashen district.
Yerkir Tsirani’s Marina Khachatrian slapped a male councilor representing the
ruling Republican Party (HHK) after being jostled by him. The latter slapped
Khachatrian while another HHK councilor puller her hair in response.
Khachatrian and two other Yerkir Tsirani members, including the party leader
Zaruhi Postanjian, were then physically forced to leave the hall.
One week after the incident, Markarian called for “regulating” the work of the
press corps accredited by the municipality. A spokesman for the mayor said
afterwards that journalists will now be able to watch council debates only
through monitors to be placed in a separate press room.
The government accepted the proposed restrictions, drafting relevant legal
amendments that were passed by the National Assembly. They stipulate that the
press will now need special permission from the mayor to be able to attend
council sessions.
Armenia - Pro-government members of Yerevan's municipal council wrest sewage
containers from Yerkir Tsirani party's Marina Khachatrian, 13 February 2018.
Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian argued that the same rules are already in
place for media coverage of sessions of the Armenian parliament. “We don’t
interfere with [reporters] and they don’t interfere with us,” he said on the
parliament floor. “The same rules will be introduced for sessions of the
Yerevan council.”
Edmon Marukian, a leader of the opposition Yelk alliance, denounced the new
rules, saying that they will “restrict journalists’ rights.” He linked them to
the February 13 violence in the council.
Markarian’s spokesman, Artur Gevorgian, insisted earlier that the restrictions
are not aimed at covering up more such incidents. He said that the municipal
administration will install more video cameras in the chamber to ensure the
transparency of proceedings. The official noted, however, that live broadcasts
of debates could be interrupted in case of “hooliganism” on the part of
councilors.
Armenian Whistleblower Appeals To European Court
• Nane Sahakian
Armenia -- Demonstrators block a street during a protest against an increase of
electricity prices in Yerevan, June 29, 2015
A former employee of Armenia’s electricity distribution network, who was fired
in 2013 after accusing company executives of corruption, has filed a lawsuit in
the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
The 65-year-old Hrachya Harutiunian used a company hotline to allege a
large-scale fraud scheme within the Electricity Networks of Armenia (ENA)
operator which was owned at the time by Inter RAO, a state-owned Russian energy
giant. The allegations were contained in a confidential letter which he sent to
the company’s special e-mail address.
The ENA management responded by accusing Harutiunian of defamation and firing
him. It went on to file a libel suit against him.
An Armenian court of instance rejected that lawsuit. However, the higher Court
of Appeals found Harutiunian guilty of defamation and ordered him to apologize
for his allegations and pay ENA 5 million drams ($10,400) in damages.
The man’s lawyer, Ara Ghazarian, on Friday condemned the latter verdict as
illegal. Ghazarian argued that under Armenian law even false claims that are
not publicized through mass media or otherwise cannot be deemed slanderous. He
said his client never went public with the fraud allegations.
In Ghazarian’s words, the ECHR has already started looking into the case filed
by Harutiunian. He said he expects the Strasbourg-based court to rule against
ENA.
“He reported corruption,” the lawyer told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am). “Instead of thanking him, they punished him for his civic
activism.”
ENA sparked two-week street demonstrations in Yerevan in June 2015 when it
attempted to significantly raise its electricity prices. The protests were
driven by a widely held belief that Armenians are being made to pay for
widespread corruption within the ENA management. While defending the tariff
rise, Armenian government officials acknowledged that the national power grids
have been mismanaged by the Russian-owned operator.
Inter RAO sold its Armenian subsidiary to the Tashir Group of Samvel
Karapetian, an Armenian-born Russian businessman, later in 2015. The new owner
claims to have sharply cut ENA’s massive financial losses since then.
Press Review
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that President Serzh Sarkisian on Thursday
appointed Haykaz Baghmanian, a controversial Armenian army general fired late
last year, as deputy head of the joint chiefs of staff of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The paper says this development only
confirmed that Baghmanian will not be held accountable for “many abuses and
crimes” attributed to him. “It is now clear why Haykaz Baghmanian tendered his
resignation,” it says. “That was done with Serzh Sarkisian’s consent. The idea
was to send, with such a sacking and a public statement by [Defense Minister]
Vigen Sargsian, an important message to the entire Defense Ministry staff to
the effect that Vigen Sargsian should be taken seriously. This was Serzh
Sarkisian’s big favor to his protégé who is still establishing himself as
minister. As for Baghmanian, Sarkisian promised to find him another job, and he
has fulfilled that promise.”
“Zhamanak” says that after taking over as prime minister Serzh Sarkisian will
focus on grooming “young political leaders” and modernizing the armed forces
and will delegate day-to-day decision-making on other issues to the
parliamentary majority, the deputy prime ministers and ministers. “In other
words, Serzh Sarkisian sees as himself in the post of prime minister as more of
a political patriarch than a figure accountable to the parliamentary majority,”
writes the paper. It suggests that Sarkisian is planning to become prime
minister to prevent a “collapse of the balance of forces” in the ruling
establishment.
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” derides Seyran Saroyan, a retired army general and a
parliament deputy from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), for saying
that Serzh Sarkisian’s apparent decision to become prime minister means that
“God has heeded our prayers.” “We would advise General Seyran to occasionally
pray for Armenia’s future as well,” the paper says scathingly.
“Aravot” is skeptical about Armenian opposition forces’ plans to hold
demonstrations in Yerevan against Sarkisian’s continued rule. The paper
believes that they lack the “organizational structures” to pull big crowds. It
says the opposition is only certain to attract a few hundred mostly elderly and
unemployed people who do not really care about “who fights for what.” “These
people want to hear harsh words addressed to the authorities and shout a few
insults,” it says. “This situation has been persisting for more than 25 years.”
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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