Wednesday,
Armenian Parties Concerned Over Election Bill Failure
• Gayane Saribekian
The parliament building in Yerevan
A number of political parties not represented in Armenia’s outgoing parliament
have voiced their concern about the prospect of “apolitical elections” ahead
after the former ruling party twice effectively blocked amendments to the
electoral laws earlier this month.
The current government led by popular leader Nikol Pashinian had drafted
amendments to the Electoral Code envisaging the scrapping of a controversial
system of so-called rating ballots that was first used in the 2017
parliamentary elections and is widely believed to have been instrumental in
ensuring the victory of former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK).
Under that system, voters across Armenia cast their ballots not only for
political parties and alliances as a whole but also for their individual
candidates running in a dozen nationwide constituencies.
Many political experts believe that such individual races degrade political
competition and make financial resources and government connections more
essential in securing votes.
Thus, a few HHK candidates wielding considerable financial resources and
connections provided the bulk of votes for the party in the 2017 polls.
The Pashinian government twice brought amendments that also envisaged
safeguards against vote rigging and other major changes such as lower vote
thresholds for winning seats in parliament and recovering election deposits,
but in both cases the bill failed to get the support of two-thirds of the
lawmakers as required by the constitution.
The HHK said it deemed it wrong to change the Electoral Code less than two
months before expected general elections. It also accused the government of
ignoring a number of alternative proposals.
Now the prospect of holding snap elections in December under the current
Electoral Code has raised concerns among a number of extra-parliamentary
political parties.
Deputy Chairman of the Armenian National Congress Party (HAK) Aram Manukian
regretted the failure of the passage of election law amendments, noting that
they would have created prerequisites for forming a political parliament. Under
the current legislation, in his words, “the vicious phenomena inherent in the
former government are inevitable.”
“It is already obvious that there will be no ideological competition, it is
already obvious that there will be no competition of programs, but everything
again will come down to a revolutionaries versus counterrevolutionaries
struggle and the political component will be lost in the process,” said
Manukian, adding that the HAK, which is led by ex-president Levon
Ter-Petrosian, still has not decided whether it will take part in the elections
in such conditions.
“Discussions are continuing, but it is obvious that our trump card – the
presentation of a liberal economic program as a model for the development of
Armenia – will no longer be a serious factor in the upcoming campaign,” the
HAK’s deputy chairman said.
The failure of the parliament to adopt the new Electoral Code did not change
the decision of another extra-parliamentary party – Heritage, of former foreign
minister Raffi Hovannisian – to participate. “The Heritage Party participated
in elections in conditions of violence and intimidation, and we have no
problems in terms of participation,” said Chairman of the party’s board Armen
Martirosian.
Martirosian, however, sees a certain opportunity for the former ruling party to
use the current electoral legislation in order to regain some of its positions.
“Unfortunately, the existing Electoral Code is anti-political, anti-party and,
I would even say, anti-state. In fact, the former government will have a very
good opportunity to try to reanimate itself to a certain extent, and it is
obvious that with such a multitude of loyal heads of rural communities it will
be very difficult [for the authorities] to prevent vote buying in villages,” he
added.
Varuzhan Avetisian, one of the leaders of the newly established Sasna Tsrer
party, said that difficulties were expected, but he stressed that they rely on
their supporters. “I have some concerns that there will also be attempts to rig
the election results, and some of this rigging will go undetected, since it is
a very elaborate mechanism… Some local kings will again have the opportunity to
enter the parliament. And, unfortunately, the next parliament will not fully
reflect the political will of the people,” said Avetisian.
The Armenian parliament is expected to be dissolved on November 1 after failing
to elect a new prime minister in a vote scheduled for that day. Snap
parliamentary elections then will be held in the first half of December.
A local civil group, “We Are Owners Of Our Country”, has called a protest
outside the parliament building on October 31 demanding that lawmakers amend
the current Electoral Code before the holding of fresh general elections.
Armenia Downplays Istanbul Declaration On Karabakh
Anna Naghdalian, a spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
at a press conference in Yerevan, 24Oct,2018
Armenia has downplayed the significance of a declaration referring to
Nagorno-Karabakh adopted by the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and
Azerbaijan at their meeting in Istanbul earlier this week, reminding that “the
OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group
co-chairmanship is the only format with an international mandate to help settle
the conflict.”
“It is within this format that the principles of the conflict settlement are
set forth as a whole. A selective treatment of those principles does not in any
way contribute to the efforts towards a peaceful settlement,” Armenian Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalian said on Tuesday.
“Wordings made outside the framework of the Minsk Group co-chairmanship and
contradicting it are artificial and have nothing to do with the settlement of
the problem,” she added.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of the issues on the agenda of a
trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan that
was held in Istanbul on October 29.
In the declaration adopted after the end of the negotiations Mevlut Cavusoglu,
Mohammad JavadZarif and Elmar Mammedyarov called for a peaceful resolution of
conflicts in the region “based on the principle of territorial integrity.” The
three foreign ministers specifically highlighted the importance of solving the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with this principle.
Nagorno-Karabakh, populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, declared independence
from Azerbaijan amid the collapse of the Soviet Union, triggering a war that
claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
A cease-fire was called in 1994, but decades of internationally mediated
negotiations with the involvement of the OSCE’s Minsk Group have failed to
result in a resolution. The Minsk Group is co-chaired by the United States,
Russia and France.
Armenian Parliament Passes Amnesty Bill
Armenia - Results of parliament's voting on the amnesty bill, Yerevan,31Oct,2018
The Armenian National Assembly on Wednesday voted to approve an amnesty bill
timed to the 100th anniversary of the First Armenian Republic and the 2800th
anniversary of the foundation of Yerevan marked this year.
Seventy-two lawmakers of the 105-seat body voted in favor of the bill, with no
one voting against the measure or abstaining from the vote.
The second reading of the bill and its final adoption are expected on November
1.
Acting Justice Minister Artak Zeynalian, who presented the draft legislation in
parliament, said the proposed amnesty would in one way or another apply to an
estimated 6,500 people, with 660 of 2,888 due to be released from prisons.
Specifically, according to Zeynalian, convicts serving sentences of up to three
years in prison are to be released and prosecutions of people, launched before
October 1, 2018, on charges punishable by up to three years in prison are to be
discontinued. Amnesty will also cover people who committed crimes by negligence
and face up to five years in prison.
First and second-group disabled convicts serving sentences of up to six years
in prison as well as some other categories of convicts, including pregnant
women, people aged above 60 or below 18 who meet specific criteria, are also to
be covered by the amnesty.
The current amnesty also applies to members of the Sasna Tsrer armed group that
seized and held for two weeks a police compound in Yerevan in July 2016 and
members of the radical opposition Founding Parliament movement who were tried
and convicted of plotting a coup in 2015.
The amnesty does not apply to people who committed heavy crimes, were engaged
in trafficking, obstructed journalists’ professional work, committed high
treason, terrorist acts, sabotages and other serious crimes.
As for convicts serving life sentences, according to the acting justice
minister, an individual approach will be shown in each case, as, he said, the
Ministry is not entitled to revise sentences of such convicts.
Families of a number of convicts serving life sentences have staged protests in
front of the National Assembly building demanding that the current amnesty,
which the government describes as the largest ever in Armenian history, be also
somehow applied to their relatives.
Ex-President Sarkisian Vacates Government Villa
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Former Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian
Former Armenian President and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian on Wednesday left
the government villa in Yerevan where he continued to live after resigning from
office in April, the ex-leader’s aide told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am).
According to Nairi Petrosian, the head of Sarkisian’s office, the ex-leader
will live in a house in Dzoraghbyur, a village just outside capital Yerevan.
As a former president, Sarkisian is entitled to a house provided to him by the
government. After resigning as prime minister on April 23, Sarkisian and his
wife continued to live in the government villa next to the family of Nikol
Pashinian, who moved in after becoming prime minister on May 8.
Still in early October Prime Minister Pashinian’s chief of staff Eduard
Aghajanian said that in November Sarkisian would have to vacate the premises
that he had occupied for more than 10 years.
Shortly before the change of government, then Prime Minister Karen Karapetian’s
cabinet decided to grant the house to Sarkisian as his property. Amid criticism
and growing public protests Sarkisian relinquished the right of ownership two
days after being controversially elected by parliament on April 17 as prime
minister to continue to occupy the number one post in the country after two
straight five-year terms as president. Sarkisian then quit his office amid
antigovernment protests led by then opposition leader Pashinian.
Already as prime minister Pashinian instructed his chief of staff to provide
the ex-president with a house, but, according to the government, Sarkisian has
rejected all proposed options, including a house in Yerevan’s administrative
district of Avan with a market price of $1,250,000.
According to Aghajanian, the reasons for the rejections were mainly connected
with security concerns.
“In the case with the Avan house, for example, they cited the presence of some
electric wire or line over the house, which, according to them, created a
security problem,” he said.
“That [house in Avan] was our last offer. We are not going to propose any other
options,” Pashinian’s aide concluded.
Armenian Entrepreneur Accuses Ex-Minister Of Taking A Bribe
• Narine Ghalechian
Armenia -- Silva Hambardzumian, a businesswoman, speaks to RFE/RL. 31Oct.,2018
Armenian businesswoman Silva Hambardzumian claims that in 2008 she gave a $14
million bribe to the then environment minister and current lawmaker Aram
Harutiunian to obtain a mine development license.
“I transferred $8 million to a bank account in Dubai that he mentioned to me
and paid another $6 million by installments through a person whose name was
Suren Avagian,” Hambardzumian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
“I had contacts with Aram Harutiunian since 2007 and bought three organizations
from him. Then, when I mentioned my intention to buy several mines, I was told
that others had offered bribes for that. I asked to quote the amount I should
pay and he said it was $14 million. He gave the bank account number of another
person named Araks Dilanian and on February 2, 2008 I transferred that money,”
the entrepreneur claimed.
Hambardzumian said that she received a license after allegedly giving the
bribe, but soon afterwards that license was suspended. She said she demanded
that Harutiunian return the money and he promised to provide real estate
instead, but eventually did not keep his promise. “He told me I could do
anything, but would get nothing. After that meeting I went straight to the 6th
police department [combating organized crime] and reported the crime,” she said.
Hambardzumian claimed that Araks Dilanian, to whom she paid the money by
installments, transferred it to the Dubai bank accounts of three Armenian
citizens. “One of those citizens is Gagik Karapetian, the director of the Sevan
Psychiatric Hospital, another is his worker Viktor Martirosian, and I didn’t
know the third one. After I received those papers it turned out that the third
person was Armen Khachatrian, who is the director of property owned by Aram
Harutiunian.”
The director of the Sevan Psychiatric Hospital, however, denied that he was
involved in the case. “I don’t know such a person. Please do not call me over
that matter, do not disturb me,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am).
Attempts by RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) to contact MP Aram
Harutiunian were not successful throughout the day.
The lawmaker affiliated with the former ruling Republican Part of Armenia did
not even attend the National Assembly session today.
Last week acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stated from the parliament
tribune that one of the MPs was suspected of taking bribes. He did not give the
name of the suspect, but local media began to circulate the name of former
environment minister Harutiunian.
Pashinian also said that the law-enforcement authorities expected a document
from another country’s foreign ministry.
Hambardzumian said that in order to finalize the legal case, they will soon
receive official papers regarding the three citizens from Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.
“Our [Special] Investigative Service wants to clarify the passport data of
those people. Soon they will send it, too,” she said.
Asked whether she acknowledged that giving a bribe is also a criminal offense,
Hambardzumian said that it wasn’t in 2008. “I think and have always thought
that giving a bribe should be punishable, but since there was no way of dealing
with the former government otherwise, since it was impossible to do any
business without giving a bribe, I guess many people like me had to do so,” she
said.
The Special Investigative Service has not yet confirmed whether it is
investigating the case.
Ex-Chief Investigator In Post-Election Unrest Probe Charged With Falsifying
Evidence
• Naira Bulghadarian
Vahagn Harutiunian, former head of the Investigative Group on March 1-2, 2008
post-election violence
The former head of an investigation group conducting a probe into the 2008
post-election unrest has been charged with falsifying evidence in the case and
is now wanted by Armenian authorities, according to the Special Investigative
Service (SIS).
In a report released on Wednesday the SIS said Vahagn Harutiunian, who was the
senior investigator of the Service in 2007-2011, “organized the falsification
of evidence, in particular, with a view to hiding the real circumstances of the
unconstitutional use of armed forces during the March 1-2, 2008 events in
Yerevan, including the illegal use of firearms by officers of the armed forces.”
The report says about a 1,000 used cartridges of firearms discovered at various
sites where the deadly events were unfolding were subsequently replaced with
the same types and calibers of cartridges fired from the same types of weapons
belonging to the police troops.
The SIS said a ballistic expert assisted in the falsification and later
provided a false conclusion regarding the cartridges. The expert, who is not
identified by his full name yet, was also charged in the case. Both men have
been put on the police wanted list. The SIS has asked the court to choose
arrest as a measure of restraint against both Harutiunian and the ballistic
expert.
Harutiunian, who has the rank of a major-general of justice, quit his senior
position at the Armenian Investigative Committee in July.
While leading the investigation into the 2008 post-election violence, in which
10 people were killed, Harutiunian repeatedly denied at meetings with
journalists that the probe was being conducted improperly.
Press Review
Ahead of the expected dissolution of parliament Lragir.am writes: “The
parliament which is to be dissolved symbolizes the criminal oligarchy that
ruled in Armenia for two decades during which the state system kept improving
the mechanisms and ideology of usurping power that were supposed to keep the
ruling party in power forever. But this parliament will soon become history and
the next parliament is likely to be a transitional one, since there will be no
election in classical terms – it will be the confirmation of the revolution and
full transition of power.”
The editor of “Aravot” suggests that after the revolution a parliament
dominated by loyalists of the former government became a potential source of
instability in the country: “The problem is not even how the outgoing
parliament was elected, but in the relations between the legislative and
executive branches of power. In conditions of the [government’s] lacking a
stable majority in parliament these relations are far from being harmonious,
and such a situation could harm our state.”
“Zhamanak” notices a “panic” among a majority of Armenian parties regarding the
prospect of their participating in elections under the existing electoral
system that implies so-called rating ballots. “The failure of the amendments in
parliament will make their lives considerably more difficult. The amendments
implied that they could hope to get into parliament even by polling some 2
percent of the vote, but now it seems impossible. Besides, these political
parties do not possess enough candidates to run in individual races under the
rating vote system,” the paper writes.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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