Raffi Hovannisian, Opposition Protest Presidential Elections, Matenadaran, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2003

RFE/RL reports that Raffi Hovannisian, the U.S. born first Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, is seeking recourse to the law after being locked out of his Heritage Party headquarters off Yerevan’s Republic Square. The closure of the office was reported by RFE/RL last week. The incident is just one in a string of actions that Hovannisian claims are harrasment by the authorities now that it’s obvious that Heritage will be a major political force in the 2007 parliamentary elections.

Hovannisian has leased a section of the property belonging to the Hakob Paronian State Comedy Theater for nearly 15 years. It housed his think-tank, the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, until Zharangutyun’s creation about three years ago.

The theater director, Karapet Shahbazian, denied that the opposition party was locked out of its headquarters for political reasons. He said that the entire building was recently transferred to the jurisdiction of the Armenian government’s Department on State Property Management and that he has repeatedly told the tenant to sign a new lease agreement with the latter. “I have warned them that we are not the owners of the building and that they can sign a new contract with Department on State Property Management,” Shahbazian said.

Zharangutyun leaders dismissed the explanation, saying that their current lease agreement with the theater was due to expire only in June. “They insisted that we vacate the offices earlier,” said Karapet Kalenchian, another party activist.

“They broke the doors and entered the office,” said Khurshudian. “We don’t know how long they stayed inside and what they took away with them. All we know is that they then sealed the door.”

From speaking to many people in Armenia, including private conversations with some state officials, it appears that Hovannisian really represents a threat to the ruling regime. Highly popular among most Armenians including youth, the charismatic opposition figure is perceived as “clean” and honest in a highly corrupt former Soviet Republic.

Which is why, of course, Public TV recently tried to smear his family name with allegations of corruption as if the former KGB detaining Hovannisian at Zvartnots Airport last November wasn’t enough.

The party’s de facto eviction from its headquarters came amid a controversy sparked by Armenian state television’s attacks on Hovannisian’s wife Armine who runs the Yerevan office of the U.S. youth education charity Junior Achievements (JA). The Kocharian-controlled Armenian Public Television charged last month she is diverting the organization’s money to illegally finance Hovannisian’s increasingly high-profile political activities.

Armine Hovannisian and JA officials have dismissed the allegations as “disinformation.” Speaking to RFE/RL last week, she linked them to her husband’s recent open letter to Kocharian which effectively implicated the Armenian leader in high-profile political murders and vote falsifications. The Public Television chief, Aleksan Harutiunian, scoffed at the claims, saying that Armenia’s largest TV channel will continue to “investigate” the matter.

Usually when I mention Hovannisian, a few rationalists in the Diaspora will say that he can’t count on the support of the population, but in reality this is far from the truth. In fact, as the opposition lacks a charismatic leader, he is potentially dangerous to those in government who show no sign of being willing to relinquish their grip on power through democratic elections.

It’s no wonder then, that both Kocharian and his predecessor, Levon Ter Petrosian, did all they could in order to prevent the U.S. born lawyer from gaining Armenian citizenship.

Hovannisian served as Armenia’s first foreign minister in 1992 but was effectively denied Armenian citizenship until 2001, something which prevented him from contesting the last presidential and parliamentary elections held in 2003. His party is expected to be a major contender in next year’s parliamentary election.

Although Hovannisian is still not eligible to run in the 2008 presidential elections, he has stated that he will try. Regardless, as the next parliamentary elections will prove to be crucial in determining the next President of the Republic of Armenia, Heritage’s appearance on the political scene must be ringing a few alarm bells as I write.

In fact, actions such as the latest in the campaign to cripple Hovannisian and Heritage as a contender show that this is the case. Ironically, however, such attempts will likely only increase his standing among the public. Stay tuned. Hovannisian is definitely a name to watch out as we now appear to be well and truly into pre-election year.

Just as well I interviewed the man himself last year.