“168 Zham” says that with less than one week to go before a legal deadline for the nomination of candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, none of Armenia’s political groups has publicized its electoral list so far. “This situation is absurd because if political forces really have programs and strong teams, as they claim, then they must name as soon as possible the individuals who are supposed to implement those programs,” writes the paper.
“In essence, Serzh Sarkisian is publicly emphasizing the need for a departure of old figures and arrival of new ones,” writes “Zhamanak.” “But in reality, everyone realizes that Serzh Sarkisian is removing them for the sake of personal, rather than collective, interests. This will be the case as long as Serzh Sarkisian says that his political plans depend on the results of the 2017 elections.” The paper claims Sarkisian risks facing more revolts within his Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) because of that.
“Haykakan Zhamanak” claims that Sarkisian reluctantly appointed Karen Karapetian as prime minister and that only Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian enjoys his full backing. “Either he is not in control of the situation and some forces prod him to take steps he would have preferred not to take, or he has a meticulously devised plan involving interim solutions such as Karapetian’s appointment and [Gagik] Tsarukian’s political comeback,” speculates the paper.
“Zhoghovurd” comments on the consolidation of political parties and emergence of new alliances in the run-up to the April 2 elections. The paper notes disapprovingly that ideological orientations of Armenian parties play no role whatsoever in the formation of election blocs.
“Everyone will benefit from this process if the elections are held in a flawless manner,” “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” quotes a parliament deputy from the HHK, Artak Davtian, as saying. The paper scoffs at the remark, saying that Davtian should have also specified who will benefit if the elections are marred by irregularities. It says that this is what has happened in the last 15 years. The paper also wonders whether by “flawless elections” the HHK means a genuinely democratic vote or sophisticated falsifications that cannot be exposed and proven. “There is no way everyone can benefit from this situation because the HHK and everyone else have diametrically opposite interests,” it concludes.
(Anush Mkrtchian)