ARP CAN NOT APPROVE 100% PROPORTIONAL ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Lragir.am
21 July 06
Exclusive.am. Experts of “Electoral Systems” Center have belief in
this. “In case of proportional Parliamentary elections opportunities
of Republican Party to gain majority even in coalition with other
political powers will be theoretic”, says Mr. Arthur Avtandilyan,
Executive Director of “Electoral Systems” Center.
“In every Parliament political powers comparably can be divided
into four groups: ruling favorite party, parties under influence
of authorities, neutral parties and opposition parties. Armenian
Republic Party (ARP) will not be able to get more votes in forthcoming
elections, than Vazgen Sargsyan-Karen Demirchyan alliance did in 1999.
Opportunities are also rationally evaluated by Serj Sargsyan, who
mentions 25% for ARP as a good result. Parties, which are under the
influence of authorities together, will get fewer votes, than ARP,
i.e. 20%. This will not be sufficient to form coalition majority.
Neutral parties will prefer to form majority with opposition in better
conditions. The example is the present Parliament of Ukraine.
Thus, refusal of majority electoral system will be equal to defeat
for the present political majority “, the analytic bulletin of
“Electoral Systems” Center says.

THERE WILL BE NO REVOLUTION IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
Lragir.am
21 July 06
The deputy leader of the Republican Party Tigran Torosyan believes
that after the July 22 extraordinary assembly of the Republican Party
nothing will happen to the party even if we take into account that
the post o the chair of the council of the party is restored.
According to Tigran Torosyan, the Republican has had an influential
role in the political processes of Armenia. And the Republican was
majority after two parliamentary elections.
There is an opinion in the media that not all the Republicans approve
the restoration of the chair of the president of the council and
naming of Serge Sargsyan. In this connection Tigran Torosyan notes,
“People who express opinions secretly and decline to specify their
source are not serious. Unfortunately, people often comment on the
political life in Armenia who are far from the reality and far from
being analysts. The internal life of the political party is the
problem of the political party. It is important for the society how
effectively the party serves the society. There will be no revolution
in the Republican Party.”
Countering to the statements of Vazgen Manukyan and one or two other
figures that the growth of the Republican will lead to a unipartisan
system in Armenia, Tigran Torosyan notes, “One needs to have a
vivid imagination not to see the realities and make suppositions
on the unipartisan system. Fortunately, there is not such a threat
in Armenia.”

TIGRAN TOROSYAN AGREES THERE ARE OPPORTUNISTS IN THE REPUBLICAN
Lragir.am
21 July 06
Hasmik Navasardyan, the wife of the leader of the Republican Party
Ashot Navasardyan told Radio Liberty that the Republican Party has
a Nzhdehian ideology but not all the Republicans bear the party’s
ideology. In answer the deputy leader of the Republican Party says,
“It is strange if in a country the leader or one of the leaders of
a political party announces that all the representatives of their
political party are the bearers and avant-guarde of that ideology.”
According to Tigran Torosyan, the Republican Party is an ordinary
party. There are devotees of the ideology, there are people who are
close to the idea, “there are people who are opportunists, they come
and go.” Life showed that this happens to both the Republican and
“the political party with the least influence”. He also thinks that
the political party will overcome the challenges of the sudden growth
of the number of members of the Republican Party.
Hasmik Navasardyan also reminded the words of Ashot Navasardyan.
People becoming Republicans must be ready for a self-sacrifice, they
must give more than take. In answer to the question of the Lragir
if there are more people who are ready for a self-sacrifice than
opportunists in the Republican Party, Tigran Torosyan said, “It is
a good wish but there are different kinds of people in real life.
I think it would not be realistic to stipulate that all the newcomers
be ready to give more than take.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN APPLICANTS MAY ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES IN TSU BRANCH IN
AKHALKALAKI
Lragir.am
21 July 06
Akhalkalaki, July 21. A-Info reports that the Javakheti Armenians
may ancounter difficulties at the Akhalkalaki branch of Tbilisi State
University in this academic year as well.
The problem is that admittance exam in Georgian will be the same
level for the graduates of both Armenian and Georgian schools.
Perhaps this is the reason why less Armenians, about 45, applied to
the University.
By the way, in the last academic year only four students from
Javakheti entered the Akhalkalaki branch of Tbilisi State University,
two Armenians and two Georgians.

Non-official summit of CIS leaders to start in Moscow
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 11:08
Non-official summit of CIS leaders is starting in Moscow today. The
discussions will focus on the reforming of the Commonwealth. As
CIS President, the President of Kazakhstan will present the program
of reforms.
Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan may meet in the framework of the
summit, but only with mediation of the Russian President. Presidents of
Russia and Georgia Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Saakashvili are scheduled
to meet to discuss the situation at the zones of South-Ossetian and
Abkhazian conflicts. To remind, a few days ago the Georgian Parliament
adopted the decision to withdraw the Russian peacekeepers from the
conflict zones.

EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus to arrive in Baku
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 12:05
EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby will arrive in
Baku today. During the meeting with Azeri leadership issues related
to the cooperation with Azerbaijan in the framework of the European
Neighborhood Policy will be discussed.

OSCE Mission confident the Karabakh people have not inflamed their own forests
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 13:18
On July 20, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Masis Mayilian received Field Assistant of Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office (PRC-i-O) Gunter Folk.
During the meeting Mr. Folk delivered NKR Deputy Foreign Minister
a report of the Office of the OSCE PRC-i-O on inflammations at the
contact-line of Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh armed forces.
As it was informed before on June 15, 2006, the NKR Ministry of
Foreign Affairs addressed the Office of the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office with a request to conduct a monitoring
at the border with Azerbaijan for estimating the situation and making
certain of the strained accusations of Baku on the alleged burnings
of the adjoining settlements on the territories controlled by the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic. On July 3-5 the OSCE Mission conducted a
series of observations at the boundary zone. A corresponding report
was prepared in the result of the monitoring.
At present the document is being studied at the NKR Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and one can already assert that the OSCE mission did not reveal
any facts of damage caused by fire to the settlements, situated in
the NKR security zone, as the Azerbaijani side tried to present.

Two Armenian boxers reach the semifinal of the European Championship
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 14:30
Two out of nine Armenian boxers continue the struggle in the European
Championship under way in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv.
Hovhannes Danielyan (48 kg) of Yerevan Hrachya Javakhyan (60 kg)
of Vanadzor have reached the semi-final.
In the quarterfinal held July 20th Vachagan Avagyan (51 kg) of Yerevan
lost to Samir mamedov from Azerbaijan. Gevorg Tamazyan yielded to
Hungarian Dyula Kate.
RA Boxing Federation informs that the Armenian boxers were expected
to show better results, especially after the successful start. In the
semifinal Hovhannes Danielyan will fight David Hayrapetyan of Russia.

RA President’s visit to Moscow cancelled
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 14:13
RA President Robert Kocharyan’s visit to Moscow to participate in the
non-official summit of CIS leaders has been cancelled because of the
President’s health condition.
According to the diagnosis of the doctors, virus infection of
respiratory tracts has been revealed with the President.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU Special Envoy Peter Semneby to visit Armenia 23-25 July
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 15:25
EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby will be paying
a visit to Armenia July 23-25.
During the visit Mr. Semneby will have meetings with RA President
Robert Kocharyan, NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan, Defense Minister Serge
Sargsyan, Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, Human Rights Defender
Armen Harutyunyan and President of the Central Bank Tigran Sargsyan.
The meeting with Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will be followed
by a joint press conference.