Media Concerns on Eve of Presidential Election

Yesterday RFE/RL reported that concerns are being raised ahead of the presidential election in Armenia with regards to media freedom and access to television in particular. According to the report television stations have ceased covering news conferences and events attended by “politicians and other public figures” in a move that media organizations link to next year’s vote.

Prominent individuals with a wide range of opinions and interests meet journalists and debate among each other at various Armenian press clubs on a daily basis. The local TV networks have until now readily covered such events, even when those featured opposition speakers.

“Our events haven’t been covered by any TV channel for the past five days,” said Tatul Hakobian of the Urbat Press Club. “Such a thing hasn’t happened before. Why have they covered each of our events for the past year or so only to stop doing that now?”

Several pro-opposition newspapers claimed on Thursday that the authorities have ordered the loyal broadcasters to halt the coverage as part of their efforts to close the proliferating press clubs and thereby restrict Armenians’ access to information in the run-up to the elections. Some of them said the order came from President Robert Kocharian’s office, while others pointed the finger at Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

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All major Armenian broadcasters are loyal to Kocharian and his administration. Their coverage of previous Armenian elections was criticized as heavily biased by international monitors.

Interestingly, in a recent conversation with prominent civil society activists and media representatives, it was alleged that the prime minister now determines what is being shown on air. Previously it had been the president’s office. No wonder then, that six prominent media and human rights organizations today issued an open letter protesting this latest development less than 4-5 months before the presidential election.

We receive alarming information that over the past week heads of private TV companies were invited to various agencies, where they were “persuaded” to ignore the public events, appearances of certain opposition figures, not to invite them to studios, not to interview them and not to show them on air. In particular, the TV companies have received a “recommendation” not to cover (either positively or negatively) the rally of a number of political forces, scheduled for October 26.

We remind that impeding the legitimate professional activities of journalists is a criminal offence. Moreover, Clause 2 of Article 164 of the RA Criminal Code refers to the commitment of the same offence by an official, using his/her position.

Having no common political preferences or dislikes, all of us think it to be an urgent necessity that information and opinions be disseminated freely, in particular, ahead of presidential elections, and we call on authorities to abstain from interfering with the editorial policy of media, primarily the broadcasters, since it irreparably damages the freedom of expression and pluralism as cornerstone principles of democracy.

During the parliamentary election, the high cost of television advertising raised eyebrows and concerns among both local and international organizations. Five months on, if this report by A1 Plus is to be believed, TV companies have taken further steps to restrict opposition access to the airwaves by refusing to accept political advertisements.

As it was supposed RA TV Channels refuse to broadcast the advertisement on the October 26 meeting. It is noteworthy that the Municipality assured safety during the rally.

Reminder: the meeting is due on October 16 in “Azatutiun” (Freedom) Square. It will be attended by RA first President Levon Ter-Petrosian and People’s Party (HZhK) leader Stepan Demirchian.

However, the report notes, refusal to broadcast an advertisement alerting citizens to next Friday’s opposition rally by People’s Party’s Stepan Demirchian, Republic’s Aram Sarkisan and former president Levon Ter Petrosian is actually illegal. The video advertisement is available on the A1 Plus site and also included below.

RA TV Channels, with the exception of “Erkir Media,” violate the corresponding law. The rally initiators haven’t applied to “Erkir Media.”

TV Channels simply breach the RA Law on “Marches, Rallies and Demonstrations” which stipulates citizens’ right to disseminate data on a rally’s venue, date and time via mass media.

All of which must come as a shock to local media representatives, especially after Reporters Without Borders upgraded Armenia’s ranking in its annual World Press Freedom Index. Inexplicably for journalists here, Armenia shot up 25 places although it has to be said that media access during the last parliamentary election was better than during elections in 2003.

Supporters of the return of Levon Ter Petrosian to the political scene will almost certainly allege that these new restrictions are specifically aimed at him. Certainly, just as they argue the case for his return, the other side of the coin is that there are also those doing everything they can to downplay his significance.

According to RFE/RL’s Press Review, one of those people is the head of the Armenian Sociological Association. The organization recently held a survey in which respondents reportedly indicated support for Sarkisian and very little for Ter Petrosian.

Gevorg Poghosian, a government-connected pollster, tells “Hayots Ashkhar” that Levon Ter-Petrosian may have caused a stir in the political arena but the public as a whole is “indifferent” to his statements and possible comeback. “Because our public is extremely polarized in terms of not only social but political activity,” he says. Poghosian claims that most Armenians are indifferent to Ter-Petrosian because many of them are poor.

Yet, rather than attempt to persuade people that Ter Petrosian lacks support in society, something which is unknown until next week’s rally, others are raising more poignant questions about Armenia’s first president. Critics argue that the system in place today in the country is one that Ter Petrosian himself is responsible for. Writing for Armenia Now, Vahan Ishkhanyan is one of those voices.

He also raises just as significant concerns with the pro-opposition media.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s speech this Independence Day did not draw me back to the times of his tenure, but as many others, to a much closer time – the coming presidential elections. And to the election campaign of the Impeachment bloc and its leader.

That leader is the editor of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily Nikol Pashinyan, who is currently one of the closest allies of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, as well as the ideological advocate of his nomination for presidency. His newspaper has turned into the first president’s microphone and in response to any criticism towards Ter-Petrosyan the paper attacks with insult and curses.

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[…] the Constitution of 1995 created a whole vertical anti-democratic system, the engineer of which is Levon Ter-Petrosyan. As the country belonged to one person, and not to the people, hence another single person would be able to take it from him, that’s exactly what happened as a result of power turnover in 1998.

Of course people have a quality of changing, and one can suppose that Ter-Petrosyan has reconsidered his views about the state structure. However, in his speech he did not criticize the system he had created and talked only about the achievements of his regime. And his ideological speakerphone “Haykakan Zhamanak” with its propaganda of the 1995 Constitution, shows that the former team not only hasn’t undergone any ideological changes, but is even proud and defends the anti-democratic system it had created.

Impeachment was like a stretching exercise before Ter-Petrosyan’s run for presidency, whose only plan is in replacing people – Serzh Sargsyan and Kocharyan with Ter-Petrosyan, rather than an ideological struggle. And if a person should be replaced by another person, what difference does it make to a regular resident who is in charge of appointing mayors, or whether the unfair court verdict is carried out by Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s or Kocharyan’s or Sargsyan’s order?

Meanwhile, with rumors of divisions inside the Republican party of the prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, growing, RFE/RL reports on the reason why Ter Petrosian might be seen to be such a threat. As he does represent part of the same system that existed before Kocharian came to power and which continues on, Sarkisian can not be sure that he has the support of those with some political and economic power in Armenia.

In an interview with RFE/RL, Hasmik Navasardian complained that the HHK, of which she is a longtime member, has changed beyond recognition since the death of her prominent husband Ashot ten years ago. “Is this the Republican Party Ashot Navasardian dreamed about? Definitely not,” she told RFE/RL in an interview.

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The HHK went on to controversially win the 2003 and 2007 parliamentary elections after teaming up with Serzh Sarkisian. Sarkisian became its de facto leader in July 2006 as part of his preparations for the 2008 presidential election. The takeover was accompanied by a fresh influx of more “oligarchs” and other Sarkisian loyalists, many of them with dubious reputations. The process was completed after Markarian’s sudden death last March.

While not mentioning Ter Petrosian, RFE/RL reports that the widow of the founder of the governing Republicans is not happy with the party with Sarkisian at the helm. These concerns are not new since the May parliamentary election and are precisely what Ter Petrosian must be counting on if he decides to run for president.

“The Republican Party is now a government structure,” lamented Hasmik Navasardian. “When Ashot Navasardian was in charge, there wasn’t a single oligarch in our party.”

“Ashot set up the Republican Party to make life better for everyone. He was not keen to become part of the government, he wanted to help people,” she said.

Navasardian pointedly declined to endorse Sarkisian’s presidential ambitions, saying that she will vote for him only “if I don’t see a more intelligent person around.” “If I see another candidate meeting my criteria I will stand by him,” she said.

Navasardian went on to issue a stark pre-election warning to the Sarkisian-controlled HHK. “If Serzh Sarkisian is elected by fraudulent means, I will revolt,” she said. “Mistakes are inevitable. But I would revolt against blatant fraud.”

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Navasardian also confirmed media reports that the party is increasingly riven by disagreements between so-called “old Republicans” and Sarkisian-connected newcomers who often have scant knowledge of the party’s ideology and history.

Meanwhile, while we wait for next week’s opposition rally, one thing’s for sure. Next year’s presidential election in Armenia looks set to be quite unlike any other in Armenia’s 16 year history as an independent former-Soviet state.