Ararat Zurabian Kentron Pre-Election Rally, Yerevan © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

Yesterday saw an apparently unsanctioned pre-election rally ahead of tomorrow’s local election in Yerevan’s Kentron (Center) district. Some observers consider the vote an important test for democracy following a disputed presidential election earlier this year and a way to assess the level of support for the former president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Demonstrations staged by his opposition movement since the 1 March clashes have become smaller and smaller leading some to consider that it has run out of momentum.

Interestingly, others have noticed some similar parallels with the February presidential election. The current district head, Gagik Beglarian (more notoriously known by his Chorni Gago nickname) faces competition from his predecessor and key figure in Ter-Petrossian’s team, Ararat Zurabian. However, what makes the vote different is a lack of interest shown by most residents in the center. Unfortunately, Armenians are more interested in presidential rather than local and even parliamentary elections.

The pro-opposition A1 Plus online news service says 70 percent of respondents were uninterested which makes the prospects of vote-buying and falsification all the more likely. RFE/RL already reports that both candidates are alleging the other will falsify the vote.

Ararat Zurabian, an opposition leader recently released from jail, is challenging the incumbent mayor of the city’s central Kentron district, Gagik Beglarian, in what promises to be a tense election scheduled for Sunday. Armenia’s main opposition alliance led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian has declared Zurabian’s victory its most immediate political objective.

Beglarian, who is affiliated with the governing Republican Party (HHK), is seen as the favorite to win the vote not least because of his party’s administrative levers and financial resources. He claimed that the Armenian opposition and Zurabian in particular are intent on rigging the vote.

[…]

Zurabian laughed off the allegations, arguing that the opposition can barely influence the electoral process because all but one seats in election commissions in Kentron are controlled by HHK members and other government loyalists. He said that it is Beglarian who will rely on a “whole system of falsifications” on election day.

“Be certain that all kinds of vote falsifications that were observed during the presidential election and all other elections will be repeated in Kentron,” Zurabian told a news conference. “To talk about opposition falsifications means to prepare ground for falsifications and try to blame them on the opposition,” he said.

The full post accompanied by photographs is available on The Caucasian Knot.

Ferik, Armavir Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

As mentioned in a previous post, yesterday saw a return visit to Ferik, a small Yezidi-inhabited village in the Armavir region of Armenia. According to the locals, Ferik was a predominantly Azerbaijani village until they fled persecution in Turkey a year before the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The village was then named after Ferik Polatbekov, the son of a Kurdish chieftain deported to Siberia.

This young revolutionary poet, who became the main leader of the Red Army in Siberia and was finally killed by the Whites, remained totally unknown in Kurdistan. The same applies to a number of Kurdish writers and poets who achieved fame in the Soviet Union.

A People Without a Country, Gérard Chaliand, Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, Marco Pallis

The full post accompanied by photographs is available on The Caucasian Knot.

Armenia-Turkey World Cup Qualifier, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

Perhaps one of the most historical moments of recents years in Armenia has been and gone. Amid high security, Turkey beat Armenia 2-0 in a World Cup qualifying match in Yerevan attended by both the Armenian and Turkish presidents. Thankfully, the game passed without incident, although there was significant jeering from the crowd whenever Turkey had the ball. Regardless of the result, however, some seeds were sown to contribute towards improving ties between the two estranged neighbors. The Associated Press reports on the match.

Tuncay Sanli and Semih Senturk scored second-half goals Saturday to give Turkey a 2-0 win at Armenia in World Cup qualifying.

Tuncay gave the visitors the lead in the 61st minute, scoring from close range. Senturk made it 2-0 in the 79th, capitalizing on a defender’s mistake in the box.

Mehmet Aurelio had an early chance for Turkey but his powerful shot from 14 meters (yards) four minutes into the game was blocked by goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky.

Armenia replied with a chance in the 8th when Volkan Demirel saved Gamlet Mkhitarian’s drive from 25 meters.

Neither side dominated the game before halftime, but Turkey looked more organized.

The visitors came close midway through the first half when Emre Delozoglu shaved the crossbar from the edge of the box in the 27th minute. Three minutes later, Mevlut Erdins broke down the left flank only to hit the outer side of the net.

Euro 2008 semifinalist Turkey dominated after the interval.

Arda Turan headed down a cross from the left to set up a goal for Tuncay. Senturk stole the ball from Alexander Tatevosian in the box to extend the lead and was close to making it 3-0 in the 81st but failed to beat Berezovsky one-on-one.

The match was being played against the backdrop of decades of animosity rooted in the WWI-era atrocities that began in 1915. The two neighbors have no diplomatic ties. Turkey President Abdullah Gul attended the match, becoming the first Turkish leader to visit Armenia since the ex-Soviet nation declared independence in 1991.

The full post accompanied by photos is available on The Caucasian Knot.

ARF-D activist burns Turkish flag during a Genocide memorial event, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian 2008

Ahead of tomorrow’s match between Armenia and Turkey, as well as the arrival of Turkish President Abdullah Gul, nationalist forces in both countries are voicing their opposition to what others hope could be a long awaited breakthrough in relations between Yerevan and Ankara. On Tuesday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) used the occasion of the 17th Anniversary of the declaration of Nagorno Karabakh’s independence to declare its intention to stage protests while its counterpart in the U.S. issued a statement.

On the occasion of the Sept. 6 visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western US Central Committee reaffirms the conviction of the organization and the entire Armenian-American community of the imperative for friendly and cooperative relations between Armenia and all of its bordering countries. At the same time, we assert the fact that Turkey still continues its 15-year blockade of Armenia, which has cost billions of dollars of damage to Armenia’s economy and prohibits its own citizens from freely traveling to Armenia. Furthermore, Turkey continues its domestic and international campaign of denying the Armenian Genocide. Turkey also continues to enforce its criminal codes against its own citizens who dare to accurately discuss the Armenian Genocide. Simply put, Turkey continues its efforts to elude justice.

The full post is available on The Caucasian Knot.

ARF-D Karabakh Indepence Anniversary, Matenadaran, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008

Yesterday marked the 17th Anniversary of the declaration of independence for the self-declared Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Situated within Azerbaijan, but inhabited mainly by ethnic Armenians, Nagorno Karabakh is just one of three frozen conflicts in the South Caucasus. Repeated efforts to find a solution to the conflict, which ended with a ceasefire agreement signed in May 1994 have failed. Although there didn’t appear to be any official celebrations to mark the anniversary, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) held an event at the Matenadaran. Despite the importance of Nagorno Karabakh for many Armenians, the number of people attending was quite small at not more than 5,000.

Despite being represented in the coalition government, speakers used the occasion to declare that the nationalist party would stage street protests if the Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, attends this weekend’s football match between Armenia and Turkey in Yerevan. As RFE/RL explains, the statement comes in stark contrast to the message of reconciliation that the president, Serge Sargsyan, has offered to his counterpart in Ankara. Vahan Hovannisian, a key figure in the party, also took the time to comment on the recent war between Armenia and Georgia. The party line is that ethnic Armenians living in Georgia’s Samtskhe-Javakheti region should be granted autonomy.

The full post accompanied by photographs is available on The Caucasian Knot.