The Army and the Election
I’ve just posted a new entry over the CRD/TI Armenia Election Monitor 2007 Blog on the increasing number of former and current military commanders that are now taking an interest in the May vote. The post also briefly touches upon the issue of multiple voting by soldiers that has always been a problem for elections in Armenia in the past.
One issue that remains as relevant today as it’s ever been is the role of the military in political life in Armenia. While still effectively in a state of hostilities with neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, the military does not play as much of a role in the internal life of the country as it does in some other countries.
However, many of its high-ranking officers are believed to control lucrative sectors of the economy or certain parts of the country and it’s no wonder that problems with soldiers voting during elections is a perennial feature of elections to date. The preliminary statement of the National Democratic Institute on the May 2003 parliamentary election gives just one example.
It’s especially interesting when you consider that the Defense Minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, ran on the proportional list of the Republican Party last time round, and is likely to do so again in May.
The full post is here.
