Election Update
Now that the electorate know the nine politicians hoping to run for president in the 19 February 2008 presidential election in Armenia, last week saw the obligatory declaration of income and assets from all of them. Interestingly, many were surprisingly open about their wealth although most Armenians will consider declarations by the prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, and former president, Levon Ter Petrosian, suspect to say the least.
To be honest, however, while Sarkisian did report savings of $191,000, Levon Ter Petrosian claims to have no savings at all. One wonders how he can afford to eat or maintain the upkeep of his mansion, I suppose. RFE/RL has more.
[…] former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, declared ownership of a three-story house in Yerevan and some 10,000 square meters of adjacent land that was granted to him by the government after he lost power in 1998. Ter-Petrosian also told the CEC that he co-owns office space in two separate locations in the city center and has no personal bank savings.
Ter-Petrosian’s mansion is much bigger than even the home of Tigran Karapetian, a controversial millionaire businessman and TV commentator.
Meanwhile, Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) candidate Vahan Hovannisian declared bank savings of $250,000 — just a little more than Orinats Yerkir’s Artur Baghdasarian whose party last week lambasted Armenian TV stations for ignoring his candidacy.
Shahgeldian also pointed to the TV stations’ failure to report the former parliament speaker’s Tuesday meeting with the Yerevan-based ambassadors of European Union member states. “All TV companies reported on Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s meeting with European ambassadors for several times, while Artur Baghdasarian’s meeting with the ambassadors was not covered at all,” he said.
[…]
The television coverage of the presidential race has so far centered on two candidates, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and former President Levon Ter-Petrosian. The Yerevan Press Club, an independent media watchdog, has strongly criticized Armenian state TV and the main private networks for being openly supportive of Sarkisian and extremely hostile towards his most bitter challenger. Two of them dismissed the criticism on Tuesday.
Other news of note last week was an explosion at the office of an opposition newspaper closely linked to Levon Ter Petrosian, Chorrord Ishkhanutyun. With the election currently looking to be a tense struggle between those in power with those formerly in control of the country, it is no wonder that some Armenians are wondering whether there is a real alternative to the present political system which both arguably represent.
Forget the controversial Artashes Geghamian, RFE/RL reports that the ARF-D hope they can be the “third force” that some argue Armenia desperately needs.
“The third force has already been created,” declared Vahan Hovannisian, the presidential candidate of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), a junior partner in the governing coalition.
Hovannisian complained that the election campaign has until now amounted to bitter recriminations traded by President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian on one side and former President Levon Ter-Petrosian on the other. “It is unfortunate that Armenia is entering the election period with two hostile poles,” he said. “A three-horse race will totally change the situation. It will expose the real force.”
Although many partisan commentators are trying to push their preferred choices of Sarkisian and Ter Petrosian as the main candidates, it is perhaps too early to say with the pre-election campaign itself not due to officially start until January. Of course, it is believed that Sarkisian has the strongest support to date and most Armenians anyway believe that the outcome of the election has already been decided.
Iravunk suggests that as usual most of the population therefore remain aloof from the political processes leading up to the election. Once the pre-election campaign gets underway and the media starts to address other opposition candidates perhaps that can all change, but for now, the New Year Holiday also complicates matters.
- Published:
- 12.16.07 / 10pm by Onnik
- Category:
- Armenia, Armenia Presidential Election 2008, Candidates, Legislation, Parties
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