“Zhamanak” condemns the attempted demolition by a private company of Yerevan’s central market, which resumed on Monday despite not being sanctioned by the municipal government. “Explanations were then given to the effect that the market’s roof is not safe and so on,” reports the paper. “But that happened only after citizens, civil activists made an outcry in connection with the development. The Yerevan Mayor’s Office gives explanations only when it sees that public pressure is mounting like a snowball.” This, the paper says, sums up the essence of the government system existing in Armenia and underlines the need to “open up” it.
“Zhoghovurd” discusses a continuing “de facto power vacuum” created by the May 6 parliamentary elections. The paper says that if the country had a democratic political system the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) would not have waited for almost three weeks to announce its decision to leave the governing coalition and that interpretations of that decision would not have been “so contradictory.” “One gets the impression that even representatives of the current ruling elite, except for three or four persons, do not understand what is going on in the country and in what direction the wind is blowing,” it says.
“Hraparak” carries an interview with Ashot Zakarian, the former head of the Gyumri branch of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) who resigned recently in protest against the opposition bloc’s cooperation with the BHK. Zakarian says he still does not believe that there are “deep disagreements” between the BHK and the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). “The HAK seems to be carrying out the BHK’s PR campaigns lately,” he says, referring to HAK leaders’ positive reaction to the BHK’s withdrawal from the government. Zakarian claims that President Serzh Sarkisian will use the BHK to weaken the opposition ahead of next year’s presidential election.
“Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun” reports that the Armenian authorities are upset with criticism of their handling of the parliamentary elections that has been voiced by election observers from the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). The paper says Davit Harutiunian, a senior Armenian parliamentarian, has gone as far as to suggest that their election report was influenced by Azerbaijan.
(Aghasi Yenokian)
“Zhoghovurd” discusses a continuing “de facto power vacuum” created by the May 6 parliamentary elections. The paper says that if the country had a democratic political system the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) would not have waited for almost three weeks to announce its decision to leave the governing coalition and that interpretations of that decision would not have been “so contradictory.” “One gets the impression that even representatives of the current ruling elite, except for three or four persons, do not understand what is going on in the country and in what direction the wind is blowing,” it says.
“Hraparak” carries an interview with Ashot Zakarian, the former head of the Gyumri branch of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) who resigned recently in protest against the opposition bloc’s cooperation with the BHK. Zakarian says he still does not believe that there are “deep disagreements” between the BHK and the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). “The HAK seems to be carrying out the BHK’s PR campaigns lately,” he says, referring to HAK leaders’ positive reaction to the BHK’s withdrawal from the government. Zakarian claims that President Serzh Sarkisian will use the BHK to weaken the opposition ahead of next year’s presidential election.
“Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun” reports that the Armenian authorities are upset with criticism of their handling of the parliamentary elections that has been voiced by election observers from the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). The paper says Davit Harutiunian, a senior Armenian parliamentarian, has gone as far as to suggest that their election report was influenced by Azerbaijan.
(Aghasi Yenokian)