Author: Navasardian Karapet

RULING PARTY LEADS IN ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION

People’s Daily Online, China
May 14 2007

The ruling Republican Party of Armenia, headed by Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkissian, won a leading 32.89 percent of votes in parliamentary
elections, the Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

Four other parties, the Prosperous Armenia party, Dashnaktsutyun,
the Orinats Yerkir party and the Heritage Party, also crossed
the five-percent threshold of votes required to enter parliament,
according to Central Elections Commission Chairman Garegin Azarian.

Nearly 1.4 million of the more than 2.3 million registered voters
in the South Caucasian country went to the polls on Saturday and all
the ballots have been counted, according to Azarian.

A pro-president coalition is expected to be formed in parliament
involving the Republican Party, the Prosperous Armenia party and
Dashnaktsutyun. The Orinats Yerkir party and the Heritage Party are
in opposition to the government, Interfax said.

The election, regarded as a prelude to the presidential election
next spring, was monitored by hundreds of observers from 53 local
organizations and six international missions.

The election generally complied with international democratic
standards, Interfax quoted Boris Frlec as saying on behalf of European
observers.

Other observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States have said
that the election was free and fair.

A total of 1,364 candidates from more than 20 political parties
competed for 131 parliament seats.

The Republic of Armenia was founded in 1991 when it gained independence
from the former Soviet Union. The country’s incumbent president Robert
Kocharyan won a second five-year term in 2003.

Pro-presidential parties set to win Armenia vote
13 May 2007 11:24:19 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Margarita Antidze

YEREVAN, May 13 (Reuters) – Pro-presidential parties have won a large
majority in Armenia’s parliamentary elections, the country’s election
commission said on Sunday, a vote Western monitors described as a vast
democratic improvement.

The expected winner in the election — viewed as a dress rehearsal for
the presidential vote next year — is Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan
who heads the Republican party, which is projected to win around 40
percent of the vote.

Sarksyan is a 52-year-old former welder and a trusted lieutenant of
Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan who steps down as leader next
year. He has said he would enter a presidential election if his party
asked him to.

"We were not expecting to get more than 50 percent of the vote as we
had worthy opponents," Armen Ashotyan, a Republican member of
parliament, told Reuters. "We are satisfied."

The Republican party’s two allies have polled around 35 percent
together, the election commission said.

Former Soviet Armenia is Russia’s main ally in the Caucasus, nestling
on the southern edge of the region which has emerged as a major
transit route for oil from Central Asia to Europe, and also borders
Turkey and Iran.

International observers had urged it to improve the fairness of its
parliamentary elections, saying the 2003 vote fell well short of
democratic standards.

Sarksyan had also pushed for improvements and at a news briefing on
Sunday Western monitors said standards had risen.

"The Armenian elections were an improvement from previous elections,"
said Tone Tingsgaard, from the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring team.

"Some issues remain and more is needed to consolidate this democracy."

Observers highlighted the close relationship between businesses and
politicians as a concern and an inadequate electoral complaints
procedure. One of the pro-presidential parties is run by a millionaire
businessman.

A fringe opposition group which wants to start proceedings to impeach
the president, because its says he has failed the country with his
policies, is not expected to win enough votes to clear the 5 percent
barrier and enter parliament.

Nikol Pashinyan, one of the leaders of the Impeachment party, said
there had been voting violations and he promised street
demonstrations.

"We do not recognise the result of the election and our struggle will
shift to another stage," he said.

Impeachment supporters and police had clashed in the election run up
but on Sunday the streets of Armenia’s capital were quiet. Impeachment
has a few thousand supporters.

Simmering tensions burst to the surface last month when gunmen tried
to kill a senior member of the Republican party and two blasts ripped
through the offices of another pro-presidential party.

The violence has revived memories of a 1999 shootout in parliament
that killed the speaker and the prime minister. (Additional reporting
by Hasmik Lazarian)

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 13 2007

Ruling party set to win Armenia’s parliamentary poll
11:45 | 13/ 05/ 2007

YEREVAN, May 13 (RIA Novosti) – The ruling Republican Party and other
pro-presidential parties have won a majority of votes in Armenia’s
parliamentary elections, the ex-Soviet nation’s election commission
said Sunday, giving preliminary results.

The voting results from 1,474 out of 1,923 polling stations showed
that the Republican Party led by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan was
far ahead in the parliamentary poll, followed by the pro-presidential
Prosperous Armenia and Dashnatsutyun, the election commission said.

More than 2 million Armenians voted May 12 in Armenia’s fourth
elections since the South Caucasus country gained independence in
1991, with twenty-two parties and one election bloc running for 131
seats in the parliament.

The opposition Heritage Party also cleared the 5% barrier at the
elections to the national parliament, the election commission said.

At the same time, the opposition parties New Times, Republic and
Impeachment said the voting was falsified and considerably affected
the poll results.

Voter turnout is 57%

ArmRadio.am
12.05.2007 21:28

According to preliminary data, 1,319,393 citizens or 57% of the enfranchised
voters participated in the parliamentary elections in Armenia, President of
the Central Electoral Commission Garegin Azaryan declared at 21:00.

The polling stations were closed at 20:00, and now the electoral commissions
are summing up the results of the polls.
The international observers positively assess the voting process, despite
the fact that the opposition parties reported there were a number of frauds.

According to latest data, the Prosecutor General’s Office received 7
applications, the Police ` 14 and the Central Electoral Commission ` 3.

Arka News Agency, Armenia
May 11 2007

RUSSIAN COSMONAUT YURI BATURIN TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, May 11. /ARKA/. Russian cosmonaut Professor Yuri Baturin
will arrive in Armenia on May 14. The press service of the Yerevan
State University reported that within Baturin’s visit a number of
events are planned, which will launch with the cosmonaut’s photo
exhibition and demonstration of author’s film "Short meeting with the
country."
Reports of Head of the OSCE Yerevan Office Vladimir Pryakhin, YSU
rector Professor Aram Simonyan, Deputy FM Armen Bayburdyan and Yuri
Baturin are planned.
Besides, Baturin will deliver lectures on "Russia’s experience in the
process of elaborating law on mass media", "Cosmos research", "Topic
issues of international relations" to the YSU students of journalism,
physics and international relations. L.M. -0–

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 12 2007

Shukru Elekdag says Turkey not to grant visa to Armenian citizens

[ 12 May 2007 12:39 ]

Turkish Republic Popular Party member, parliamentarian Shukru Elekdag
has condemned Armenia for denying for visa to Turkish representatives
of the OSCE, who were to observe parliamentary elections in the
country.

MP told APA’s bureau that Turkey has to stop granting visa to
Armenian citizens for a while as a reply.
`On one hand Armenia demands to open borders with Turkey, but on the
other it denies Turkish representatives for visa. This shows Armenia
pursues a hypocritical policy. Armenia thinks Turkey is afraid of
European Union, as well as the USA and standing this viewpoint it
takes such steps. But Ankara is to react to this by all means.
Armenian citizens shouldn’t receive visa for a month. It should be
Turkey’s message that it is always ready to reply properly. We have
to take appropriate measures if we respect ourselves. Armenia doesn’t
want Turkey to observe the current situation in the country. Turkish
observers should insist on getting visa’, he underscored.
As for the position of the OSCE on the issue, Elekdag considers the
organization should support its representatives.
`The OSCE should refuse to observe the elections as Turkish
parliamentarians fail to get visa. Armenia feels free to do anything
because there is no pressure on it. Armenia thinks Turkey is going to
make unilateral concession. That’s why Armenian citizens shouldn’t
receive visa to Turkey’, he noted. /APA/

In Stepanakert apartments are sold for 416 dollars per sq m

12-05-2007 11:40:57 – KarabakhOpen

According to the State Real Estate Cadastre, in the fourth quarter of
2006 apartments cost 370 dollars per sq m in Stepanakert, 97 in
Askeran, 101 in Martuni, 51 in Martakert, 62.5 in Hadrut, 67.5 in
Shushi. In the first quarter of this year one square meter cost 416
dollars in Stepanakert, 107.5 in Askeran, 111 in Martuni, 55.5 in
Martakert, 67.5 in Hadrut, 75.5 in Shushi. In the first quarter of
this year 52 deals of purchase or sale of real estate were made, which
is down by 28.8 percent compared with the fourth quarter of 2006.
73.1 percent of deals were made in Stepanakert.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES NEW ELECTED FRENCH COUNTERPART

ARMENPRESS
May 07 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Robert Kocharian
has conveyed in a message his congratulations to Nicolas Sarkozy,
who was elected yesterday new President of France.

"Remaining committed to close and friendly relationships between the
French and Armenians and to the tradition of mutual understanding,
which in recent years have strengthened through government level
cooperation, I am confident that we shall continue to deepen our ties
through cooperation between our governments and personal contacts,’
Kocharian’s message says.

Kocharian also emphasized the permanent and effective high-level
French-Armenian dialogue on international, regional and bilateral
issues. The Armenian president also recollected a February meeting
with Sarkozy in Paris for a discussion of a wide scope of issues saying
he hopes that they will have more chances to revert to them in future.

With almost all ballots counted, Nicolas Sarkozy had won 53.1% of
the vote sweeping aside his Socialist rival Segolene Royal with 46.9%
. Turnout was about 85% — the highest since 1981.

Thousands of rightist supporters flooded into central Paris to
celebrate the victory, but there were also skirmishes between leftist
sympathizers and police in at least one city square and reports of
sporadic violence in two suburbs near the capital.

Addressing cheering party faithful, Mr. Sarkozy pledged to push
through his reform program, promising to wage war on unemployment
and give a boost to French morale.

"The French people have chosen change. I will usher in this change
because it is the mandate I have received from the people and because
France needs it, but I will do it with all the French."

Sarkozy will take power on May 16, becoming the first French head
of state to be born after the Second World War. He will then name a
government and start campaigning for June’s parliamentary election,
where he will seek a majority to implement reforms.

Armenian official calls for people’s right for power change

Arminfo
1 May 07

Yerevan, 1 May: The Communists’ idea to return power to people has a
new follower, which is the National Democratic Party of Armenia
[NDPA].

"Many politicians say that the power belongs to the people. I
categorically disagree with this, as currently the people have no
ability to protect their rights legally. This is why the objective of
our party is to change the situation radically." A member of NDPA and
the head of the department of ethnic minorities and religious affairs
under the Armenian government, Hranush Kharatyan, said this at a news
conference today.

She said that the people must have all the rights not only to withdraw
a newly elected parliament but also a formed government, in the case
if it does not fulfil the promises it gave before the
election. Kharatyan said that there is need for a periodic meeting
between the elected people and voters, during which they [elected
members] will fully report on the work done. "This will allow Armenian
politicians to treat their obligations with greater responsibility,"
she said. Kharatyan also spoke about the perspectives of the NDPA in
forthcoming parliamentary election [on 12 May], and said that she
considered the talks that her party fights for the minimal five per
cent, needless.

"At the moment, any party having less than 10-15 members says that it
does not lose hope of having a high percentage of votes. I can say
that in this issue we are not an exception either. Besides, I am
certain that our party’s work of many years is a sufficient basis for
voters to vote for us," she said and added that she did not think the
NDPA is a party, the manifesto of which remains on paper. "The main
issue of the opposition is the endless call for a change of
authorities, meanwhile, unfortunately forgetting about the manifesto
that will work if the authorities change. I think that such lack of
ideas and ‘dependency on words’ is the main shortcoming of the
country’s opposition forces," Kharatyan said.

RAMPS TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN 7 ARMENIAN CITIES FOR DISABLED PERSONS’ PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
May 03 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. With the assistance of the USAID, ramps
will constructed in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Stepanavan, Spitak,
Chambarak and Goris. Thus 9 polling stations in these cities will be
accessible to voters, who move in wheel-chairs, during the upcoming
parliamentary elections. According to a press release submitted to
NT by the "Paros" center for educational and cultural development of
disabled persons, in Armenia polling stations are mainly inaccessible
to voters with disability, which contradict the principle of equal
suffrage stipulated by the RA Constitution and the RA Electoral Code.

Construction of ramps is part of the program "Participation of
Disabled Persons in Electoral and Civil Processes" implemented by
"Paros". Within the framework of the program, discussions and meetings
are held, patterns and "speaking" books are prepared and distributed
to blind voters, etc.