Armenian News... A Topalian... (7 editorials)

Bloomberg

Dec 10 2018                

Ex-Ruling Party Wiped Out as Revolutionary Wins Armenia Vote

Sara Khojoyan

Pashinyan’s alliance wins 70% in Armenian parliament elections 

Former ruling Republicans fail to reach threshold for seats      

  

Armenia’s former ruling Republican party was wiped out in parliamentary elections that handed a massive majority to the leader of the country’s “Velvet Revolution.”

Preliminary results show acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step alliance won 70.4 percent of votes in Sunday’s elections, Armenia’s Central Election Commission reported. The Republicans received 4.7 percent, just short of the 5 percent threshold for parties to win seats in the National Assembly.

The result is a crushing defeat for a party that dominated the Caucasus republic for nearly two decades before Pashinyan led weeks of street protests that forced former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan to resign in April amid widespread anger at corruption and poverty. While public support carried Pashinyan to the premiership in May, he pushed in October for early elections because the Republicans still controlled parliament after winning 58 of 101 seats in 2017 elections.

“The citizens of Armenia are forming an absolute revolutionary majority in parliament,” Pashinyan told reporters at a televised news conference early Monday. Voters “have given a mandate of trust to continue with the fight against corruption,” he said.

Prosperous Armenia, headed by businessman and former world champion arm-wrestler Gagik Tsarukyan, and Bright Armenia, led by a former ally of Pashinyan’s, were the only others to win seats in elections contested by 11 parties and blocs. Russia is watching events closely in the nation of 3 million people that hosts a vital Russian military base and is engaged in a 30-year conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

International observers concluded the elections “were held with respect for fundamental freedoms and enjoyed broad public support,” Peter Osusky, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s special coordinator, told reporters in the capital, Yerevan. “The general absence of electoral malfeasance, including of vote-buying and pressure to voters, allowed for genuine competition,” he said.

RFE/RL Report

Pashinian’s Bloc Sweeps Armenian Parliamentary Elections

December 10, 2018

Emil Danielyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his allies looked set to gain a two-thirds majority in Armenia’s new parliament as they cruised to victory in snap general 

elections held on Sunday.

According to the preliminary election results released by the Central Election Commission (CEC) early on Monday, Pashinian’s My Step alliance won over 70 percent of the vote.

The strong performance highlighted Pashinian’s continuing popularity more than seven months after mass protests led by the 43-year-old former journalist 

toppled the country’s longtime leader, Serzh Sarkisian. The protests were sparked by Sarkisian’s attempt to extend his decade-long rule.

Businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) finished a distant second with 8.4 percent of the vote. It was followed by the pro-Western Bright 

Armenia Party, which got 6.4 percent.

Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) apparently failed to clear a 5 percent legal vote threshold for being represented in the National Assembly. They got 4.6 percent and 3.9 percent of the vote respectively, according to the CEC.

The HHK, which won the last parliamentary elections held as recently as in April 2017, did not immediately say whether it recognizes the percentage of votes attributed to it.

The six other contenders fared even worse .

Pashinian declared his victory in the elections shortly after midnight. “It is obvious that we will have an absolute majority in new parliament, which will 

allow us to implement our reform agenda,” he told a news conference held at the My Step headquarters in Yerevan. “There is no doubt that our alliance … enjoys 

the trust of the Armenian people.”

Under Armenian law, no single party or bloc can control more than two-thirds of the parliament seats. Such a comfortable majority will be more than enough for 

Pashinian to retain his post and push government bills through the parliament.

Pashinian said his chief priority will be to bring about an “economic revolution” that would significantly reduce poverty, create many jobs and thus raise living standards in the country. He repeatedly made such pledges during 

the election campaign, saying that his government’s efforts to combat corruption and improve the business environment will improve the socioeconomic situation.

The CEC put voter turnout at 48.6 percent, down from about 61 percent reported in the last parliamentary elections held in April 2017.

The HHK seized upon this difference to downplay the scale of Pashinian’s victory. The former ruling party’s deputy chairman, Armen Ashotian, claimed that it reflects “popular apathy and disappointment” with Pashinian’s government.

“This proves that the holding of the pre-term parliamentary elections in December was not a ‘popular demand’ but the result of Nikol Pashinian’s personal political calculations and interests,” Ashotian wrote on Facebook.

Pashinian appealed to Armenians to turn out in larger numbers a few hours after the opening of the polls. In a live Facebook transmission, he also said that the turnout is lower than in 2017 mostly because voters are no longer bribed by the HHK.

At the late-night news conference, Pashinian also claimed that under the former HHK-led government the number of people participating in elections was routinely inflated as a result of fraud. Besides, he said, said some of his supporters did not bother to vote on Sunday because they were confident about 

My Step’s landslide victory.

Pashinian and the HHK traded bitter recriminations during the two-week election campaign. The premier accused Sarkisian’s party of corruption and misrule and 

said the snap polls must lead to its political demise.

For their part, HHK leaders accused Pashinian of endangering Armenia’s national security and failing to deliver on his promises of rule of law and economic 

betterment.

By contrast, Tsarukian’s BHK and Bright Armenia avoided strongly criticizing the government on the campaign trail.

Although the HHK continued to accuse the authorities of intimidating its activists and abusing administrative resources, election contenders, observers and media reported far fewer instances of serious fraud than they had in the past. In particular, there were virtually no reports of vote buying, which was widespread in the previous Armenian elections.

The Armenian police said they recorded 144 reports of various irregularities and will look into them.

RFE/RL Report

European Observers Praise Armenia’s ‘Democratic’ Elections

December 10, 2018

Observers representing the leading pan-European organizations on Monday described the weekend parliamentary elections in Armenia as democratic, saying 

that they witnessed virtually no serious irregularities.

The more than 300 observers mostly deployed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) gave the most positive assessment ever by a 

Western-led monitoring mission of major elections held in the South Caucasus nation.

In a joint statement, they said the snap polls won by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step alliances enjoyed “broad public trust” and were marked by a 

“general absence of electoral malfeasance, including of vote buying and pressure on voters.”

“Election day proceeded calmly and peacefully with all stages assessed positively by almost all [mission] observers, indicating general adherence to the procedures,” read the statement.

“The vote count was assessed positively in all but two polling stations observed, indicating that the counting process was conducted without significant procedural violations,” it added.

“I congratulate the Armenian people,” Aleksander Pociej, the head of a delegation of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) that was part of the monitoring mission.

“[Armenia’s] 2018 peaceful ‘velvet’ revolution, in conjunction with the political will of the current authorities, enabled the holding of democratic 

elections,” Pociej told a joint news conference with the other mission chiefs.

“Democracy cannot proceed without trust, so I am pleased that broad public trust was the central characteristic of this election,” said Peter Osusky, who 

led 250 or so short-term observers deployed by the OSCE.

Heidi Hautala, a European Parliament member, likewise stated that there were “minimum irregularities” in Sunday’s vote, unlike in the previous Armenian 

parliamentary elections that were held in April 2017 and also monitored by her.

A similar OSCE-led mission cited at the time “credible information about vote-buying and pressure on civil servants and employees of private companies.” The then ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) was widely accused of resorting to the illegal practices.

“Positively, electoral stakeholders did not report any systematic efforts of vote-buying and other electoral malfeasance,” the European observers said this 

time around.

In their preliminary findings, they also praised Armenian media coverage of the parliamentary race. They said local broadcasters, who remain the main source of 

information for voters, “made a visible effort to cover all electoral contestants.”

“The public television provided a reasonably balanced coverage,” said their statement. “Positively, a number of media, including the public television, organized genuine debates, bringing together candidates from all the contestants.”

The HHK claimed throughout the election campaign that its activists across the country are summoned by police officials and warned against telling people to vote for the former ruling party. Urszula Gacek, the head of the European monitoring mission, said her observers were aware of the alleged harassment but found no evidence of it.

RFE/RL Report

Republicans, Dashnaktsutyun Concede Election Defeat

December 10, 2018

Former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) essentially accepted on Monday 

official election results showing that they will no longer have seats in the country’s parliament.

According to the preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission (CEC), the HHK won 4.7 percent of the vote in Sunday’s general elections, falling short of the 5 percent threshold to enter the National 

Assembly. Dashnaktsutyun got 3.9 percent and will also not be represented in the parliament.

The setback is particularly severe for the HHK which won the previous parliamentary elections held as recently as in April 2017.

“These elections were democratic in form but not in substance,” the HHK said in a statement.

The statement accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, whose My Step alliance polled over 70 percent, of abusing his administrative resources and whipping up 

“intolerance towards dissent” during the election campaign. It also alleged government harassment of Republican local government officials and other party 

activists.

Still, the former ruling party indicated that it will not challenge the official vote results in court or otherwise. “We wish the forces elected to the parliament and the government to be formed by them success because the security and development prospects of our country depend on that,” it said.

The statement also said that the HHK will continue to challenge Pashinian’s government as an “extraparliamentary force.” Appealing to party supporters, it added: “Rest assured that we will do everything in our power to ensure that the noise of populism does not suppress your voice.”

Dashnaktsutyun, which has been represented in the parliament since 1999, also tried to put a brave face on its electoral performance. “This is a defeat but not of our voters,” it said, describing the latter as principled individuals who voted for a party program, rather than a popular individual.

A much larger number of other voters, a Dashnaktsutyun statement complained, looked for an “internal enemy” and “shockingly” ignored grave challenges facing their country.

Dashnaktsutyun, which has influential branches in Armenian communities around the world, had up to three ministerial posts in Sarkisian’s government from 

2008-2009 and 2016-2018. It reached a similar power-sharing deal with Pashinian after he swept to power in May this year. Pashinian fired the Dashnaktsutyun-affiliated ministers in October, accusing their left-wing 

nationalist party of collaborating with the HHK.

Pashinian’s bloc will have a two-thirds majority in the new parliament, putting it in a position to not only push through government bills but also amend some articles of the Armenian constitution.

The remaining parliament seats will be divided between the Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and Bright Armenia parties which garnered 8.3 percent and 6.4 percent of 

the vote respectively. Unlike the HHK and ashnaktsutyun, both parties refrained from openly criticizing Pashinian during the parliamentary race.

RFE/RL Report

Armenian Election Winner Rules Out Coalition Deals

December 10, 2018

Nane Sahakian

A senior representative of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step alliance made clear on Monday that it will not seek a power-sharing agreement with any 

other political group after its landslide victory in the weekend parliamentary elections.

“We have won a majority in the National Assembly and don’t have a desire or see the need to form a coalition government with any other force,” Lena Nazarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

My Step will control just over two-thirds of the seats in the new parliament, more than enough to reappoint Pashinian as prime minister and further his legislative agenda.

Only two other parties, Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and Bright Armenia, will be represented in the parliament. They both avoided criticizing Pashinian during the election campaign.

Bright Armenia, which made up an alliance with Pashinian until recently, said that it will be in opposition to the prime minister. Some observers are skeptical on this score, however, saying that that the party’s leader, Edmon Marukian, is unlikely to seriously challenge the government.

The BHK’s current status is more ambiguous. Its leader, Gagik Tsarukian, shed no light on the party’s plans on Monday in a written statement to supporters. 

Tsarukian said only that the BHK, which came in a distant second in Sunday’s elections, “will continue to stand with the people.”

A senior BHK figure, Naira Zohrabian, said the party’s governing board will meet soon to decide whether or not to act like an opposition force.

The BHK received four ministerial posts in the current government immediately after Pashinian swept to power in May. The premier sacked those ministers in October, accusing Tsarukian of collaborating with the former ruling Republican Party (HHK).

Asbarez.com

11 Dec2018

It’s Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

The voters in Armenia made their voices heard during Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections—the first national election following this spring’s popular movement, which toppled the former regime ushering in a new era in Armenia where the people truly control their own destiny.

Local and international observers have declared the election to be free and fair election and that the results reflect the will of the people, who for the first time since Armenia’s independence were able to vote with their conscience and make it count.

The wave that started with the popular movement this spring and led to Sunday’s election cannot be reversed and the people’s will—especially the young generation’s—must not be crushed. The time has come for every Armenian, be they in Armenia or the Diaspora, to come together and roll up their sleeves with a commitment to strengthen the Republic of Armenia, because it is only with a strong homeland that our Nation can thrive and prosper.

We cannot ignore the acrimonious campaign the preceded the election. The new regime must end the campaigning and focus on governing the country, in an inclusive and representative manner and fold in the enormous talent and capabilities of our people in the service to our homeland.

This is a monumental opportunity for our Nation to collectively ensure social and economic justice for every citizen of Armenia whose individual and collective rights must be of utmost priority.

The newly elected lawmakers must formulate a government that is free of corruption; take steps to reform the judiciary so that it is independent and functions for the interest of the people and the advancement of rule of law; and for a free press to flourish so that it not only informs but advances the democratic norms that are embedded in Armenia’s Constitution. In addition to buttressing Armenia’s domestic institutions, the new leaders of Armenia must prioritize the strengthening of the Armed Forces, whose soldiers are at the frontlines defending our national security both in Armenia and Artsakh. A comprehensive program to completely rebuild and revitalize the Earthquake Zone should also become a priority.

Moreover, the new legislature should focus on reforming the election laws. During this process, a true picture of Armenia’s electorate must emerge. Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission placed the number of eligible voters at 2, 573,779, with 1,260,840 voting in Sunday’s elections, making the turnout 48.63 percent. With a country that has experienced such a high volume of emigration, the CEC’s accounting of eligible voters does not reflect the true picture of the population.

This is also a chance for all political forces—within or outside of parliament—to advance their ideals through concrete work and provide the necessary tools to the new government to succeed in both domestic and external fronts.

Armenia and the Armenian Nation are facing critical—and existential—challenges. The tenuous peace in Artsakh is under constant military threat by Azerbaijan. International pressures on Armenia regarding regional priorities of other nations pose undue demands on Armenia to recalibrate its domestic and foreign priorities.

These challenges are of national importance and the new government, as well as the political forces in Armenia, must recognize that only through a united front can we, as a Nation, confront the obstacles that endanger the national security of our homeland and threaten the well-being and right to self-determination of the Armenian people, be that in Armenia proper or in Artsakh.

Hopefully, the new government will be guided by these principles and develop a program that stems from our national interests and takes into account our national aspirations.

So, congratulations to the winners of Sunday’s election. In addition to wishing them luck in their endeavors to govern our country, every Armenian must also pledges his/her unequivocal support to collectively advance and strengthen our homeland.

EuroNews, EU

Dec 10 2018

Armenia election: Who is Nikol Pashinyan?

By Darin Graham 

Armenia's acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan won Sunday's snap parliamentary election by a landslide.

He won more than 70% of the vote, the country's election commission said.

Pashinyan, a journalist turned politician, came into power following a peaceful revolution in the country earlier this year.

The mass protests marked a watershed moment in the country — a small post-Soviet landlocked nation of 2.9 million.

At the time of the uprising, a member of parliament, Pashinyan opposed the ruling Republican government and set off his "My Step" protest march on March 31 from Gyumri. Only a few joined him, mainly journalists.

When he reached the capital, Yerevan, on April 13 — thousands more joined.

Faced with an uprising, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned on April 23 and Pashinyan was named as acting prime minister shortly after.

"He formed a coalition government which was from the onset promised to be a transition government and its main purpose was to initiate a snap parliamentary election as soon as possible," Anahit Shirinyan, an Armenian political analyst told Euronews.

The parliamentary landscape in Armenia failed to represent Armenian citizens after the revolution, Shirinyan said.

Pashinyan stepped down from his position in October to trigger a snap election held on Sunday, December 9.

Laurence Broers, an associate fellow at the Chatham House think tank's Russia and Eurasia programme said he called the election to "normalise the political situation after 'April's Velvet Revolution.'"

"The revolution brought him to power as prime minister through the force of a civil uprising. But the parliament remained the one elected in April 2017, under the 'old rules,'" Broers said.

Pashinyan's key message in the build-up to the election was to continue in his fight against corruption after several cases were exposed under his leadership.

The leader reopened an investigation into the killing of 10 people during clashes between police and protestors in 2008 and the report claimed the army was used against demonstrators.

Former President Robert Kocharyan was charged on Friday in relation to the investigation of attempting to overthrow constitutional order by a court of appeal - which ordered his detention.

Kocharyan was arrested in July but released a month later and the case was sent to the Armenian appeals court.

How Pashinyan first entered politics

Pashinyan is from the northeastern province of Tavush in Armenia. He is not from an oligarch background, like many former leaders in the country.

Pashinyan worked as a journalist before embarking on a political career and was known for his opposition to the Republican government.

"Many haven't really known him outside of Armenia but those following the country's politics closely will know his profile has been growing over time," Shirinyan said.

"He has been active and he helped form demonstrations and civic activism in the past."

His first major political move came in 2008 when he supported opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan and became a member of his office.

But he was forced underground soon after because there was an order to arrest him, Shirinyan added.

He eventually walked into a police station and turned himself in and spent a short time in prison before being released.

"You can see he has grown politically as a politician over time," Shirinyan said.

Why is Pashinyan so popular in Armenia?

Shirinyan says Armenians hold high expectations on politicians that they believe can solve their problems.

In the rural regions, young people and intellectuals are supporting him, she said.

"For the first time, we have a leader that is intellectually prominent and challenging in different ways. The points he makes, he has good rhetorical skills, he's a journalist and its difficult to challenge him, he is good at debates," Shirinyan said.

Laurence Broers, who is also the co-founder of Caucasus Survey, said the problem Armenia faces is how to convert the so-called 'velvet revolution' into a lasting legacy.

"Pashinyan enjoys high personal popularity, and there is a danger that he sweeps all before him and ends up becoming an overly dominant figure," he said.

"The country desperately needs wide-ranging reforms in many areas, but accountability will also be key to the ultimate effectiveness of reforms. Too often in post-Soviet states, reformist leaders brought to power by popular uprisings have centralised power and lost legitimacy."

What do critics make of Pashinyan's leadership?

Pashinyan's critics can be divided into two camps, Anahit Shirinyan said. The former ruling elite - the Republicans who lost out of the revolution and were disgraced by corruption claims call him a "populist" and claim he is ruining foreign policy.

"Republican critics say Pashinyan's affiliates and team are inexperienced and that he makes contradictions, but not everyone believes the Republicans as they depleted their legitimacy in the revolution," Shirinyan said.

She adds, however, that there are other critics who are seemingly objective in their criticisms of Pashinyan, often calling out his affiliates lack of experience in the governance sector.

"But these are from a more constructive position. They wish him well and kind of want to keep in check. It's easy to lose a sense of reality when you are enjoying such popularity," Shirinyan said.

Pashinyan responds well to these critics, according to Shirinyan, sometimes correcting or explaining his movements in response.

What's at stake?

Republicans held absolute majority up until this election and Armenian law demands there should a stable majority in parliament.

Shirinyan said Pashinyan's majority is finishing touch of the so-called velvet revolution.

Broers, however, pointed to civil uprisings in post-Soviet states of the past that ousted leaders.

"Leaders have had a disappointing record in terms of long-lasting impact and real political change," he said. "Pashinyan brings a young and inexperienced elite into government, mistakes will inevitably be made."

What does Pashinyan's majority mean for Armenia?

A majority means Pashinyan can form a government and progress with his reform.

"Depending on whether the Republican party gets to parliament or not, it will determine a level of political confrontation we're going to have in parliament," Shirinyan said.

But commentators noted a low turnout at the elections — turnout was at 48.63% and many observers were left wondering why. In the country's 2017 election, 60% voted.

"Turnout was low, but not unusually so for democratic regimes and only disappointingly so in the context of previously inflated turnouts in Armenia," said Broers. 

"The election and the campaign represent a transformational shift from the intimidatory atmosphere of previous elections. The question is what political forces will be able to hold Pashinyan to account and do so in such a way that civilly contested politics is institutionalised as normal."

Shirinyan said Armenia lacks a credible point of comparison for turnout.

"One tool used in the past to rig elections was inflated voter lists. We don't know whether the official voter list is accurate, around 2.5 million voters so we don't know if this has painted an official picture," she said.

Many Armenians are out of the country at any given time with up to a third said to be abroad. In the past, the outside votes were counted on their behalf.

"Multiple votings were seen and transport was organised to take people to vote again in another precinct," Shirinyan said.

Will Russia be watching political developments in Armenia?

Ahead of the vote, Pashinyan said there would no major changes in foreign policy in Armenia and no breaks with Russia.

The country hosts a military base that belongs to Moscow and is part of Russian-led alliances.

But Shirinyan said Russia is suspicious towards Pashinyan because his party has many young Western-education people.

Shirinyan adds that there are no major issues in current Russian-Armenian relations.

Broers said Armenia is set for future political change in overturning former semi-authoritarian and oligarchic regimes.

"How to do that while maintaining the close alliance with Russia will test the Armenian-Russian relationship severely," he said.

"But any dismantling of Armenia's oligarchic ties in many major sectors of the economy, including energy and transport, will inevitably bring Pashinyan into conflict with their deep penetration by Russian state and commercial actors, and their local Armenian clients."