Author: Kajoyan Gevork

What are the legal grounds for the mayor to have the booths deconstructed?

17:52 . 01/05

Did Serzh Sargsyan visit Mashtots park as RPA leader or as the
republic’s president? There are all the grounds to assume that he
visited the park as RPA leader, who decided to do it in the
pre-election period with the candidate N4 in his party’s list.

We say this as the country’s president Serzh Sargsyan should have at
least once visited the park over the past months or at least he should
have seen in the video materials that the booths against the
construction of which the ecologists are fighting, are not nice. But
Serzh Sargsyan expressed an opinion only 4 days before the elections
that the booths of the park are not nice.

Moreover, one could suppose from what he told Taron Markaryan that
over the past months Serzh Sargsyan hasn’t had an opportunity to speak
to the mayor about all that was going on in the park, though
demonstrators were spending nights at the park, often clashes were
taking place between them and the police, MPs and intellectuals were
visiting the park. In answer to all this, it was heard from the city
hall: everything is done within law. To enforce that law, the police
were keeping the park and the ecologists spending nights in it under
control day and night. Whenever they deemed necessary they were
inadequately using force against the ecologists and were fighting even
against the tents they were placing.

However, today it turns out that the police have had quite
achievements in the park, which are not noticeable for the public but
obvious for the authority, and that is why Serzh Sargsyan urges them
not to limit themselves to what they have already achieved and to be
constantly improved.

It turns out that Mashtots park is another place for the police to be
improved. However, the most notable in all this is that, following
Serzh Sargsyan’s instruction, the city hall `must find ways to bypass
the law, must ignore the 3-year period established by the government
for the booths to function in that place’ and deconstruct them. And
this must be done in case when Serzh Sargsyan says everything that was
done, was correct. If everything was correct and within law, why does
the president propose the mayor to change it? Or, on what other legal
grounds must the mayor deconstruct the booths?

There are questions, but the mayor will surely find solutions in this
pre-election period.

Bribes not prevented in Armenia parliamentary elections

tert.am
18:34 – 06.05.12

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office reports no measures are
being taken to prevent election bribes.

On May 5, the office receives numerous reports on election bribes. The
staff promptly responded to the calls. Armenia’s police are not taking
preventive measures. The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office
goes on receiving calls from other Armenian regions.

Committee chief violates law, goes unpunished – opposition candidate’s proxy

May 6, 2012 – 15:59 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Head of the electoral committee of 7/02 polling
station in Yerevan’s Malatia-Sebastia administrative district Artashes
Grigoryan violated the regulations, representative of the opposition
Armenian National Congress (ANC) Nikol Pashinyan’s proxy Sipan
Pashinyan said.

`The committee head entered the polling booths where the voters stood,
arguing he wants to switch on the light. I objected to this saying he
cannot come in, but he gave no response,’ he told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter.

According to Sipan Pashinyan, he registered this violation, but
members of the committee and other proxies refused to sign the
protocol saying they did not see this, though the incident occurred
before their eyes.

Besides, the opposition proxy said, he registered the vanishing ink
marks in voters’ passports, but again those present said they saw
nothing of the kind.

When ANC proxy suggested that Grigoryan should sign the paper, he
first talked over the phone, then started yelling claiming he has no
right to sign such documents.

A PanARMENIAN.Net reporter tried to clarify the details with
Grigoryan, who claimed that `Pashinyan’s witness is lying, and this is
provocation.’

Steady Stream of Calls to Human Rights Defender’s Hotline
Sona Avagyan

hetq
16:49, May 6, 2012

During the eight hours since pools opened inArmeniaat 8am, the Human
Rights Defender’s Office has received 151 calls via its election
hotline.

Most of the calls earlier in the day had been about the disappearing
ink fiasco reported from a number of polling stations.

Subsequent calls have mostly focused on long lines at the polls and
incidents where voters have been allegedly bused in.

Nayiri Karmirshalyan, who heads the public affairs at the Office, says
that by the time investigators reach the scene of alleged bribe
giving, there are no traces left.

Armenia’s parliamentary vote a test for Sarkisian
Published May 06, 2012
Associated Press

YEREVAN, Armenia – Armenians are voting for a new parliament, and the
nation’s president hopes the election will give him a majority among
the legislators.

President Serge Sarkisian’s Republican Party is expected to win
Sunday’s election, but it is aiming for a majority in the 131-seat
Parliament to avoid having to form a coalition.

The party now holds 62 seats, just shy of a majority.

The voting also is seen as a test of public support for Sarkisian, who
comes up for re-election in the former Soviet state next year.

His main coalition partner, the Prosperous Armenia party, has grown
increasingly critical of the Republicans and hopes for a bigger share
in Parliament and the Cabinet.

Vote 2012: Not so `clean’ according to some reports

Election Day | 06.05.12 | 16:01

Photolure

Observers from more than 20 countries are in Armenia to report whether
this election process improves over previous ones.

By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Observers of Armenia’s voting history might rightly argue that `clean’
is a relative term, when it comes to progress toward a democratic
outcome of elections.

At about 10:00 a.m. proxies of Armenian National Congress (ANC) and
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) were beaten at polling precinct 24/26
in Gegharkunik province. According to ANC and PAP Martuni central
office’s report, ANC proxy Alaverdi Namalyan’s teeth were broken as a
result of being beaten. The PAP proxy’s camera was seized and broken.
The proxies were taken out of the polling station.

The PAP Martuni central office released a statement, warning that a
number of violations had been registered at electoral district #24.

`The PAP proxy working at polling precinct 24/15 reported that village
head Karo Gevorgyan obviously distributed money to voters at the
entrance of the polling station.’

Head of PAP election headquarters Naira Zohrabyan told ArmeniaNow that
the situation at provincial polling stations is rather tense.

`Provincial `prince-lings’ try to settle issues by the means known to
them,’ Zohrabyan says.

The inter-party joint headquarters which holds public control over the
elections, states that the situation `is very disturbing’ and that
`preliminary well-organized large-scale manipulations are being
implemented.’

In addition to the previously-reported incident involving the apparent
kidnapping of a Kentron cameraman, at least two reports were filed
related to harassment of journalists.

Aravot newspaper reporter Nelly Babayan’s cell phone was seized at
polling station 5/11 in Davtashen administrative district, as she
attempted to video the station.

At polling station 12/32 in Erebuni-Masiv administrative district an
attempt was made to seize RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reporter Elina
Chilingaryan’s video camera and an attempt to break her camera’s
memory card.

Raffi Hovhannisyan cast his vote for the common heritage of the
Armenian nation
06.05.2012 13:06

Alisa Gevorgyan
`Radiolur’

Leader of the Heritage Party Raffi Hovhannisyan cast his vote at
precinct #10-6 located in Nork Marash administrative district of
Yerevan.

He confessed to journalists that that he had made his choice for the
sake of common heritage of the Armenian nation – for the sake of the
past and especially the future.

`I trust in our Motherland, the Armenian nation and especially the
citizen of the Republic of Armenia,’ Hovhannisyan said.

Voice of America
May 5 2012

Exploding Balloons Injure 144 at Election Rally in Armenia
VOA News

Officials in Armenia say at least 144 people were injured Friday when
gas-filled balloons exploded at an election campaign concert in the
Armenian capital Yerevan.

Most of the people suffered burns when many promotional balloons burst
into flames at a concert staged by the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia in Yerevan’s central Republic Square.

Health Minister Harutiun Kushkian told reporters no one’s life is in danger.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions, but some
reports say it could have been caused by a cigarette lit too closely
to the balloons.

The incident marred a largely calm election campaign.

President Serzh Sarkisyan promised a full investigation.

Tens of thousands have gathered in Yerevan ahead of Sunday’s
parliamentary election, which is largely seen as a test of democracy
for President Sarkisyan, the winner of the disputed 2008 election.

International Business Times
May 5 2012

Gas-Filled Balloon Explosion Injures 144 Armenians [PHOTOS]

By AMANDA REMLING

An estimated 144 people were injured when a cluster of balloons
exploded at a political rally in the Armenian capital on Friday.
According to the Associated Press, the explosion was caused by a
cigarette that was lit near the balloons.

The balloons, which are suspected of being filled with hydrogen
instead of helium, were going to be flown at a Republican Party rally,
an event expected to draw tens of thousands of people. When a smoker
lit a cigarette too close to the balloons they went up in flames,
burning over one hundred people.

Fridays explosion in Yerevan comes two days before the parliamentary vote.

“I heard an explosion and saw flames rising high,” a woman named Susan
told the Daily Mail. “People rushed away from the square, and I saw a
man with a burnt face and a girl whose back was on fire.”

According to Health Minister Artyom Pushkian, no one in the crowd was
afflicted life-threatening injuries.

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Armenian President Serge Sarksiaian gave a speech to the crowd despite
the explosion.

This isn’t the first time that there has been panic at a political
event. The Daily Mail reports that Armenia’s 2008 presidential
election saw violent acts occur between protesters and police.

Boing Boing
May 5 2012

Armenian political rally ends in tragedy when political hydrogen
balloons burst into flames

By Cory Doctorow at 11:56 am Saturday, May 5

144 people were burned at a political rally in the Armenian capital of
Yerevan last Friday when bunches of hydrogen balloons bearing
political slogans burst into flames. An Agence France-Presse story
without a byline reports:

`The balloons exploded and caught fire after people holding the
bunches released them from their hands into the air,’ a witness told
AFP.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions although
police said they were looking into various potential reasons including
the `improper storage of flammable substances’.

…The promotional balloons were decorated with the governing party’s
election slogan `Let’s believe in change’.

Hydrogen balloons? Really? Is this a thing?