Massis Weekly Online
VOLUME 27, NO. 11 (1311)
SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2007
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– Armenian Leaders ?Afraid Of Losing Power?
– Over One Hundred Members Of The UK Parliament Recognize The Armenian
Genocide
– SD Hunchakian Party Youth Call For Resignation Of Armenia’s Culture Minister
– Demands For Voter Passports Spark Election Controversy
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– Armenian Leaders ?Afraid Of Losing Power?
A senior U.S. diplomat criticized Armenia?s leaders on Monday for
restricting opposition access to electronic media, suggesting that
they fear losing power and the resulting material benefits in the
upcoming parliamentary elections.
Julie Finley, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, was specifically concerned about the record
high prices of political advertising that were set by Armenia?s
leading broadcasters recently. She also questioned the Armenian
authorities? stated commitment to creating a level playing field for
all election contenders.
Leaders of the Armenian opposition say the campaign ad rates, varying
from 80,000 drams to 130,000 drams ($355) per minute, are part of a
broader government effort to bar them from using television in the
run-up to the May 12 elections. However, the TV channels, all of them
loyal to the government, have denied this, insisting that their
campaign fees are market based and were not dictated by the authorities.
Finley was clearly unconvinced by such assurances as she spoke to
RFE/RL during a visit to its headquarters in Prague. ?Whoever has the
power to do so, they?d better lower their rates,? she said. ?I think
it?s very odd to me that leaders in countries [like Armenia] are so
afraid to make media available or transparency more prevalent.
It says only one thing to me: thatthe leaders are afraid of losing
their jobs and maybe the opportunity, just perhaps, of salting away
some money in bank accounts in some place.? ?If you?re not afraid,
then why not let this stuff open up, let the rates down, maybe create
something where there aren?t even any rates, maybe have time on
Saturdays and Sundays when there is three hours of free airtime,?
Finley added. ?There are all kinds of things you can do if you really
want to have fair elections.?
Armenian law entitles parties and electoral blocs running for
parliament to only 60 minutes of free airtime on state television and
120 minutes on state radio. Opposition parties also complain about
what they see as a biased coverage of their activities by the TV
stations that rarely air criticism of President Robert Kocharian and
his government.
Finely warned that equal campaigning opportunities are as important
for the freedom and fairness of the Armenian elections as the voting
and counting of ballots. ?They [the authorities] refuse to understand
that it is about the weeks, many weeks, before the election day, that
everything that goes on in that period is as important as how the
election day runs,? she complained. ?And all of those things have to
do with freedom of assembly, freedom of media. Do they all have access
to the television? Do they all have access to the radio? Do they have
the ability to gather supporters in a
town square??
– Over One Hundred Members Of The UK Parliament Recognize The Armenian
Genocide
LONDON — A milestone on the road to Armenian Genocide recognition in
the UK was passed, when Ed Davey became the 100th MP (Member of
Parliament) in the House of Commons, London, to sign a Motion
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The motion, put forth by Bob Spink
MP in December, is called ?Early Day Motion 357?. The motion calls
upon the House to state its belief ?that the killing of over a million
Armenians in 1915 was an act of genocide, calls upon the UK Government
to recognize it as such and believes that it would be in Turkey?s
long-term interest to do the same.?
In a joint press release the Armenia Solidarity group, the
British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group, and the Social
Democrat Hunchakian Party UK organ ?Nor Serounti Tsayn? (Voice of the
New Generation) stated that there are over a thousand motions in the
House of Commons at this time but this is the only motion opposed to
government policy which has accumulated over 100 names. Also, of the
motions on international issues, only motions on Burma, Zimbabwe and
Darfur have gained more signatures.
This shows that the Genocide issue is a high priority amongst MPs, and
that they look forward to a possible vote on the issue in the late
autumn in response to the activity of our supporting parliamentarians.
Of the signatories, nearly two thirds of eligible Welsh MPs have
signed showing the usual strength of feeling in Wales on the issue.
The majority of Liberal Democrat MPs have also signed including their
Foreign Affairs and Defense Spokesmen. ?We are convinced that a vote
in the House of Commons on the issue would be won.? The statement
continued.
Mr. Manual Atamian editor in chief of the SDHP UK organ ?Nor Serounti
Tsayn? (Voice of the New Generation) stated that S.D.H.P. UK branch
was utilizing all its resources to enlist the British Armenian
community to engage members of parliament. ?We look at the United
States, France, and the E.U. and gain inspiration at what our
compatriots are accomplishing, and we hope to accomplish similar feats
in gaining reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide.? Atamian continued.
Supporters of the motion belief there is significant time to gain the
one third signatures of the 665-member parliament to include the
resolution onto the Parliamentary agenda. Currently there are 114
British parliamentarians signed onto the motion.
– SD Hunchakian Party Youth Call For Resignation Of Armenia’s Culture Minister
YEREVAN — Social Democrat Hunchakian Party ?Sargis Dkhruni? student
union urged RA Culture Minister Hasmik Poghosyan to apologize or
resign for sending a delegation to Turkey for the so called
inauguration of the restored Surb Khatch Church which in essence was
degrading to Armenians, the Armenian Church and was a continuation of
cultural genocide of Armenians.
The RA Culture Ministry did not take into consideration the stances of
both Catholicos of All Armenians Karegin II and Catholicos of Cilicia
Aram I who acted accordingly when it was revealed that the renovated
church would not function as a church at all, but as a tourist
attraction as well as a propaganda tool designed to glorify the so
called tolerance of the Turkish government.
The student union is also indignant at the announcement made by Deputy
Culture Minister Gagik Gyurjian, that the Armenian government is ready
to renovate a Turkish historical monument in Armenia and invite a
Turkish delegation to the opening ceremony in response to the
rehabilitation of the Armenian cultural treasure Akhtamar in Turkey.
In a statement, the union stated their frustration with the Cultural
Ministry of Armenia: ?Mr. Gyurjinyan doesn?t fully comprehend the
significance of the matter. The event at Akhtamar was really a
disgrace for all Armenians. The Armenian government played into the
hands of Turkish propaganda, no mention was made that the Church was
Armenian, the word ?Armenian? was replaced by ?Anatolian,? and the
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople was not allowed to place a cross
at the alter, and to top it all, a huge portrait of Ataturk along with
dozens of Turkish flags flanked the church premises. And now we
announce world-wide how ?kind? the Turks are, invite them to Armenia
as a sign of gratitude, hang the picture of Andranik and make the
Turks cut ribbons under his picture. This will in turn serve Turkey?s
interests by raising Turkey?s international reputation on the
international level.
If the ministry does not issue a formal apology to the Armenian people
worldwide or resign the Union will hold a picket opposing the RA
Ministry of Culture.
– Demands For Voter Passports Spark Election Controversy
By Gayane Abrahamyan
Reports of pro-government political parties allegedly seizing voter
passports has become one of the most controversial issues surrounding
the conduct of Armenia?s May 12 parliamentary elections. While both
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia and the influential Prosperous
Armenia Party have denied any involvement, opposition parties charge
that the practice could seriously affect the outcome of the vote.
Rosa Sanasarian, a 72-year-old resident of Yerevan?s central Avan
neighborhood, told EurasiaNet that she was forced to hand over her
passport data to district officials to receive a two-month social
welfare payment. The officials stated that they needed the information
to register Sanasarian for the funds.
?People from the district administration told me to vote for the
Republican Party, otherwise they threatened to take away my ?paros?
said Sanasarian, in reference to her bi-monthly allowance.
Not all voters, however, object to handing over their passports. In
Charbakh, a suburb of Yerevan, Gurgen Mkrtumian, a 62-year-old
construction worker, said that he handed over to Prosperous Armenia
Party members the passports for all five of the voters in his family
in exchange for 25,000 drams (about $70).
?The party that?s been chosen to win will be elected no matter whether
I vote or not,? Mkrtumian explained. ?I will at least get the money I
need very much.? Mkrtumian said that he intends to stand by his pledge
to vote for Prosperous Armenia in return for the cash. ?I have taken
the money and I have given my word as a man,? he said.
Members of Armenia?s opposition claim that Prosperous Armenia, named
the frontrunner in many opinion polls, and the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA) are using the passport scoops to avoid detection of
more overt forms of vote manipulation on election day by international
observers, who are expected to scrutinize this vote more heavily than
usual.
?People are told ?Look, we take your passport or your passport data
and we will later check whom you have voted for. We have given you a
bribe, so you vote for our candidate,?? charged Grigor Harutyunian, a
member of the political council of the People?s Party of Armenia, one
of the main opposition parties in parliament. ??We will know if you
don?t and it won?t be good for you,?? he claimed voters are told.
Ruzan Khachatrian, a board member of the People?s Party of Armenia,
claims that the practice is not limited to targeting adults alone.
?The passport data are shamelessly gathered even at schools,? she
claimed. ?The school principals are mainly members of either
Prosperous Armenia or the Republican
Parties and force children to bring in their parents? passports,
promising high grades in return for them.?
Both the Republican Party and Prosperous Armenia Party have strongly
denied that they are involved in collecting passports or paying voters
for the information.
In a March 15 meeting with journalists, Parliamentary Speaker Tigran
Torosian, who holds the number two spot on the Republican Party?s list
of candidates, affirmed that the party ?has not instructed anyone to
collect passports or [to take] any such kind of steps.?
Torosian, however, stopped short of giving guarantees that election
law violations would not occur during the campaign. ?The RPA has
several tens of thousands of members. Who can claim to be able to
supervise the activities of these several tens of thousands of
members? Nobody, I think,? Torosian said.
On March 7, Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian, a member
of the ruling council of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, a
member of Armenia?s ruling coalition, called on voters not to give out
their passports and passport numbers, warning that the practice was a
crime.
Meanwhile, economist Vardan Bostanjian, a member of Prosperous
Armenia?s political council and a party list candidate, maintains that
Prosperous Armenia has no need to use ?artificial? means to win votes.
?The party has 370,000 members and these people have joined it because
of affection [for the party] and because of their beliefs,? Bostanjian
told reporters on March 22.
Passport grabs are not the only controversy to have marked the
parliamentary campaign, however. Considerable debate has dogged the
activities of a charitable organization connected with Prosperous
Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukian. Wheat and potato seeds have been
distributed to farmers for sowing, free medical care provided in the
regions, and buses provided to transport university students into
Yerevan free of charge. The Republican Party and opposition People?s
Party have also reportedly undertaken various charitable activities.
Armenia?s election code does not provide clear guidance on how to
qualify such handouts. The code prohibits charitable acts by political
parties only during the official election campaign period.
The campaign for the May parliamentary vote starts on April 8 and
lasts until May 10. The code does not specify how the restrictions
apply to the pre-campaign period.
Nor is the problem a new one. Surveys performed by the Regional
Development Center and Transparency International Yerevan indicated
that 75 percent of voters during Armenia?s 2003 parliamentary vote had
been offered financial incentives to favor a certain party or candidate.
Editor?s Note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for the ArmeniaNow
online weekly.
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