In the run-up to April 9, not only the current president, who recently “doesn’t come down” from TV posters, but also the elite of the Republican party, one of whose prominent representatives, Eduard Sharmazanov, for example, is sure or pretends to be sure that the ten years of Serzh Sargsyan’s rule were a period of development and achievements for Armenia. He even lists those “achievements”: constitutional reforms, establishment of tolerance in the country, recovery of the “warm” atmosphere, rooting of democratic values, strengthening of national security and other similar things, which apart from a bitter smile among the public, other do not cause feelings, except for disgust.

Sharmazanov and the other members of RPA who support him – Vahram Baghdasaryan, Gagik Melikyan, Khosrov Harutyunyan and others – express their belief that there is no more suitable candidate for the post of Prime Minister to be elected after April 9 than Serzh Sargsyan. He is allegedly “indispensable”, under whom Armenia “turned into a regional factor”, he is a figure with great experience, statesmanship, and he has no equal in terms of mastering the art of negotiation. It is not trivial that the coefficient of useful action of these negotiations is zero. Sharmazanov does not hesitate to draw parallels between Winston Churchill, General de Gaulle and his “boss”, trying to prove the unprovable, as if Sargsyan is able to repeat the political exploits of those world-famous figures.

Sharmazanov and others can be understood humanely. By and large, Sargsyan is not the apple of their eye, but by disseminating his name, petting him from time to time, they solve a very important problem for them: the problem of personal well-being. Being in the close circle of the current president, and in the near future, most likely, the super prime minister with wide powers, is the meaning of life for them. They are paid well there, they can use the infinite advantages provided by the official position, and all this in exchange for the simplest caress and flattery. Yesterday, the same Sharmazanov and others were singing the praises of Robert Kocharyan around the world, today it is Serzh Sargsyan’s, tomorrow it will be someone else. People are not important for them.

…If I’m not mistaken, it was the eve of the 2008 presidential elections. Serzh Sargsyan, answering the question of one of the journalists, said. “We know our customers well.” He specifically meant Artashes Geghamyan, who was preparing to make a smooth transition from the opposition to the ruling camp, a domain close to the “feeder”. Sargsyan was not mistaken: in 2012, Geghamyan was already elected a member of the National Assembly on the list of the Republican Party. There were also other, no less “clients” in that list, in the form of Khosrov Harutyunyan, Hayk Babukhanyan, Margarit Yesayan, Armen Ashotyan, the entire leadership of the ARF and others. Since then, many waters have flowed, and the process of “clientelization” gained a wider momentum, increasing its ranks mainly at the expense of young careerists.

People realized that “customership” is a path that promises easy earnings, bright future and wide privileges. And few resisted the temptation. The process started to become lively and branched out, the old “clients” brought new “clients”, mostly from their relatives and friends. The composition of the new “clients” was motley, the quality was made up of lucky young people, many of whom, “pulling anchor” in the ruling RPA’s handbooks, got “oily” positions, because they were able to prove their usefulness and personal devotion, the ability to provide appropriate services to the “boss”.

Thus, around Serzh Sargsyan, a “regular circle” of customers was formed, which worked miracles, especially during the national elections, giving the boss the opportunity to “score” as many votes as his heart desires. Now, in the second ten days of April, the National Assembly, where there is no shortage of “customers”, will elect a prime minister. Most likely, it will be Serzh Sargsyan, who has recently been busy with its preparations. Naturally, the old and new “guards” of “clients” recruited in the “registry regiment” do not leave him alone in this matter. Serzh Sargsyan is confident that he will continue in office until 2022. It cannot be otherwise, if even if he wants it. “The army” is already a factor, the “army” will not let him leave, there is too much to lose: money, power, leverage, privileges… It is true that the phenomenon of “clientelism” can lead the country to a complete dictatorship, become an evil for the society, but there is no way back. The positions of the “boss” must always remain unshakable so that the “customers” continue to “enjoy” life at the expense of the deprivation of hundreds of thousands of poor and abandoned people. And they will “enjoy” it, as long as the so-called political opposition either decides to follow the same “customerization” path, or is unable to formulate the most urgent agenda of the time arising from the situation. But until when…

Gevorg Brutens