RFE/RL reports that the U.S. born former foreign minister Heritage party leader, Raffi Hovannisian, is once again attempting to put forward his candidacy for the presidential election in Armenia early next year. However, as was the case in 2003, problems linger with his citizenship. Under the constitution, presidential candidates must be citizens of the Republic of Armenia for at least 10 years. Hovannisian was only granted his in 2001.

Hovannisian had been controversially barred by from contesting the previous presidential election on the grounds that he had not been an Armenian citizen for the previous ten years, something which is required by the country’s constitution. […]

Kocharian rejected at the time Hovannisian’s demand that his citizenship be backdated to 1991. The U.S.-born politician claimed that his repeated citizenship applications had been illegally ignored by Kocharian and his predecessor Levon Ter-Petrosian.

In a written appeal to Kocharian, Hovannisian’s Zharangutyun (Heritage) party stopped short of explicitly accusing the Armenian president of breaking the law, only urging him to “restore justice.” It also argued that Hovannisian had served as independent Armenia’s first foreign minister and is now one of the country’s most popular political figures.

“Based on the above-mentioned [arguments,] the Zharangutyun Party’s board expects him [Kocharian] to immediately reconsider and satisfy the public demand to grant Raffi K. Hovannisian citizenship effective from the declaration of the Republic,” the statement said.

The full post is available on the Armenia Election Monitor 2008.

Although the Constitutional Court ruled last April that the eviction of tenants from their homes in central Yerevan to make way for arguably the largest land grab in Yerevan’s history was unconstitutional, nothing much has changed. Indeed, while ruling in their favor, the Constitutional Court was careful enough to word their decision so vaguely as to allow for further evictions and to prevent the true worth of the land their homes once stood on from being paid out.

The Constitutional Court ruled that a 2002 government decision that paved the way for the ongoing massive redevelopment in the city center violated several articles of Armenia’s constitution.

[…]

The verdict deals a serious blow to the credibility of the Armenian government which has insisted all along that large-scale construction which is rapidly changing central Yerevan is legal and fair.

Hundreds of local residents have been forced to vacate their mostly decrepit houses over the past two years. Many of them are unhappy with the amount of compensation paid to them by the state, saying that it was set well below the market value of their properties as a result of government corruption. Some have resisted eviction orders with hunger strikes and other extreme methods of struggle.

[…]

The court decision seems to be a largely moral victory for the disgruntled evicted residents as it is unlikely to entail any practical consequences. The court only ordered the Armenian government and parliament to bring the relevant legislation into conformity with the constitution and said nothing about property restitution or compensation.

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Quick question for people. I was passing by the Constitutional Court this morning and noticed a group of about 5 soldiers with handguns standing on the corner outside. When I returned past 3 hours later, the soldiers were actually manning the security guard cabin outside the Constitutional Court.

Thing is, while this strikes me as improper in a country supposedly heading for democracy and certainly sends the wrong message when the military should not take a role in the internal life of the country, I can’t remember if it’s always been like this or is this a new development and if so, why? I hope that it’s not connected to the election.

If anyone knows anything please leave a comment. Everyone I’ve asked here can’t remember apart from one person who used to intern at the Court in 1999. There were no soldiers then — just normal police. Anyway, I’ll check again tomorrow to see if the situation is the same or if it was just a special day or some special occasion.

Even then, however, the military should not be involved, or maybe they always have been. Don’t know, to be honest.

Opposition demonstration, Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2004

Via Martuni of Bust, RFE/RL reports that in its first-ever ruling on Armenia, the European Court of Human Rights yesterday ruled against the arrest of an opposition activist at an anti-government demonstration in Yerevan’s Liberty Square four years ago. One can only hope that this will set a precedent for the rule of law here as the May parliamentary elections approach. As arbitary arrest and detention is just one way the authorities attempt to keep a lid on political activity, it’s an important decision.

The plaintiff, Armen Mkrtchian, was detained by the police along with several other members of the radical opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party after actively participating in an unsanctioned rally in Yerevan on May 14, 2002. He was released after being fined a largely symbolic 500 drams ($1.5) under Armenia’s Soviet-era Administrative Code.

Mkrtchian took his case to the Strasbourg-based court in November 2002, arguing that the Armenian authorities can not sanction anyone for attending street protests in the absence of a law regulating the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of assembly.

The Strasbourg court cited a lack of `domestic provision which clearly stated whether the former USSR laws remained or did not remain in force on the territory of Armenia.’ Its did not impose any penalties on the Armenian state, saying that the `finding of a violation constituted in itself sufficient just satisfaction for any non-pecuniary damage sustained by the applicant.’

Mkrtchian, who did not seek any material compensation, said he is fully satisfied with the ruling. `The main purpose of my application was to show our judges and rulers that they must honor their obligations to the Council of Europe,’ he told RFE/RL. `They will now be more vigilant. I have kind of cleared the way for similar legal challenges against illegalities committed in our country.’

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As mentioned before on this blog here, here and here, there is some speculation that the Armenian President, Robert Kocharian, will not hand over power so easily when he is forced to leave office in 2008. For sure, many analysts expect Kocharian to effectively hand over power to his trusted lieutenant, Defense Minister Sezh Sarkisyan, but recent comments from the presidential office imply that the 52-year-old leader might also seek another government position. Writing for the Jamestown Foundation, RFE/RL’s Emil Danielyan has more.

The remarks only stoked mounting speculation that Kocharian has set his sights on the post of prime minister, which he held for almost a year before being catapulted to the Armenian presidency in 1998. According to Hmayak Hovannisian, a maverick parliamentarian reputedly linked to the ruling regime, this is part of a scenario drawn up by the country’s leadership. “After the parliamentary elections [slated for next spring] Serge Sarkisian will become prime minister and [current Prime Minister] Andranik Markarian [will become] speaker of the National Assembly,” Hovannisian claimed at a May news conference. “What will Robert Kocharian do? Who else is to occupy the post of prime minister when Serge Sarkisian becomes president of the republic?”

It is widely assumed that Kocharian’s preferred successor is Sarkisian, Armenia’s second most powerful man. Both men are natives of Karabakh who governed the disputed Armenian-populated territory during its secessionist war with Azerbaijan before ending up in top positions in Yerevan. They have jointly weathered many political storms and share a vested interest in keeping their bitter political foes at bay. Either man’s downfall would almost certainly mean the other’s exit from the political arena.

Sarkisian increasingly acts like a president-in-waiting, tying the state apparatus, wealthy businessmen, and the broader “power class” to the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), his main support base. He is also organizing public relations stunts such as high-profile visits to Armenian army units, meetings with soldiers’ parents, and academic debates on Armenia’s new national security doctrine, which was drafted by Sarkisian. His early November visit to Iraq, ostensibly aimed at inspecting a small contingent of Armenian troops stationed there, was widely seen as an attempt to win U.S. support for his presidential ambitions.

The question is whether Sarkisian is willing to share power with Kocharian in the event of his victory in the 2008 election. Kocharian may well be trying to make sure that the powerful defense chief remains dependent on him after 2008 by covertly sponsoring a new and extremely ambitious party led by one of Armenia’s wealthiest “oligarchs,” Gagik Tsarukian. The party, called Prosperous Armenia, has been busy in recent months, distributing large-scale relief aid to low-income farmers, providing free medical services, sponsoring pop concerts, and engaging in other “charitable” activities. Tsarukian already claims to have the largest following in the country as a result of what his detractors, including some HHK leaders, regard as massive vote buying.

So much for democracy, then. Still, as some cynics argue, Armenia’s population will get the leaders and authorities they deserve, especially if they’re willing to sell their votes for a sack of potatoes or an outright bribe of 3,000 drams (about $8). Again, it is this question of succession to Kocharian and the continuation of the system in place in Armenia that makes next year’s parliamentary elections so important to everyone. The Jamestown article is here.

Well, we’re used to stupid and illogical things happening here in Armenia, but it has to be said that that this time round we’ve probably outdone ourselves. After the falsified referendum to amend the Constitution last year, Armenia has to adopt a new national anthem by 6 December. Right, that’s today and, right again, no it hasn’t. Why the proposed change? Well, for one, Wikipedia says the current anthem is too “wimpy.”

“Mer Hayrenik” (Armenian script: “Մեր Հայրենիք”; English translation: “Our Fatherland”) is the national anthem of Armenia. Adopted on July 1, 1991, it is based on the anthem of the Democratic Republic of Armenia (1918-1922), but with different lyrics.

The lyrics were written as a poem by poet Mikael Nalbandian (1829-1866) and later set to music by composer Barsegh Kanachyan (1885-1967).

[…]

Lately, there has been a debate over whether Armenia should ditch its current national anthem and adopt something more modern, more attuned to today’s national aspirations. There have been complaints that the song is too wimpy and gloomy.).

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Opposition protest the outcome of the 2003 Presidential Election, Armenian National Assembly, Baghramian Avenue, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2003

Well, as reported in the last 2007 Parliamentary Election Monitor on this blog, there is renewed speculation that Kocharian will seek to retain control over the country as Prime Minister after he steps down as President in 2008. Under the Consitution, Kocharian can not run for a third term in office, but given amendments falsified passed last year, he might not actually want to as more power will soon be afforded to the Prime Minister and Parliament.

Obviously, this once again means that next year’s parliamentary elections are going to be the most important and potentially volatile yet. Most Armenians think that Serzh Sarkisyan is likely to become President unless we actually hold democratic elections, but in order to secure both his and Kocharian’s future, power has to be maintained over the Parliament. RFE/RL has more.

President Robert Kocharian intends to continue to play a key role in Armenian politics and government affairs after completing his second, presumably final term in office in just over a year from now, his national security adviser said on Monday.

[…] There are growing signs that his most influential and longtime associate, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, is his preferred candidate for the Armenian presidency.

The Armenian press has been rife with speculation that Kocharian would like to serve as prime minister after 2008. The 52-year-old president, who came to power in 1998, himself stoked it at a November 2005 meeting with university students in Yerevan. “Who is better than I in terms of knowledge, experience, hard work and resilience?” he said, answering a question about his political plans for the future.

Kocharian has been heavily linked with a new but extremely ambitious party set up by Gagik Tsarukian, one of Armenia’s wealthiest government-connected men. The party called Prosperous Armenia has effectively kicked off its well-financed campaign for next spring’s parliamentary elections recently with a large-scale distribution of relief aid to impoverished farmers across the country.

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Nessuna at di cavoli e di re has an interesting post about a lecture she attended by the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans. Although the lecture was on the U.S. Constitution some of the points Evans raised were particularly poignant given the appalling state of democratization in Armenia.

Mr. Evans also talked about so called “habits of democracy,” which must be developed by every generation in every country. Those are:

1. Tolerance, meaning basic level of mutual respect for each other. People need to listen to each other opinions, they need to be open minded and ready to let other people to influence their own thoughts, only then they deserve the right to be heard themselves.

2. Honesty and

3. Responsibility, meaning accepting some degree of account for the outcome.

If elected officials are responsible to public, and appointed officials are responsible to leaders who appointed them, the public is also responsible and not only for paying taxes and choosing leaders but also for standing up for their rights, when the latter are abused. People who chose not to do so ultimately get the government they deserve.

Democracy is a call for continuous reform; it is a never ending challenge. Each generation is faced with the challenge of developing habits and each generation must face these challenges anew.

I hope Armenians learned something from this, although they probably didn’t. Regardless, the full post can be read here.

Victory Park, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

As I posted two days ago, yesterday was a public holiday to mark the anniversary of the adoption of the 1995 Armenian Constitution. However, most people I knew forgot why it was a holiday, and others didn’t know. For those working in the public sector or for international organizations and banks, it was simply a day off work. For the rest of Armenia it was business as usual — well, perhaps with two exceptions.

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With tomorrow marking the anniversary adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, statements about the inviolability of the document as the basis for the State abound. First up is the Armenian Prime Minister, Andranik Markarian.

“The Organic Law helped to realize the fundamental principles of independent Armenia and was the guarantor of its progress. In the hardest times the Constitution was the basis of sustainable development and independence of the Armenian state.”

Of course, the main message to the nation has to come from the Armenian President, Robert Kocharian. For some lucky Armenians, however, the fact that it’s just another excuse for a holiday is more to the point.

“Dear compatriots, I congratulate you on the Day of Constitution. The Organic Law of our state is the choice of our people and expression of their aims. It is especially important for the construction of democratic, social and legal state. Our progress is immediately bound with the appliance of the Constitution.

In 2005 serious amendments were introduced into the RA Constitution. They open new prospects for multilateral development of our state and people, ensure balanced activities of the power branches and strengthen the system of human rights protection. I am convinced that the Armenian Constitution will serve to our future generations for a long time.”

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By Nessuna

The family is the natural and fundamental cell of society
Article 32, Constitution of Republic of Armenia

But wait… where is the individual?

It almost seems like an individual’s life per se does not hold value in Armenia unless he or she is a part of a family. Surely, family values have always played an important role in Armenian society, and while it is not neccessarily bad, there is something wrong about relatives drinking to your future marriage on every single occasion when you do not even want one.

Yet, it goes without saying.

And while I have no doubts about their good intentions we all know where the latter leads. Talk about pressure. Being in my “late” twenties I’m considered to have at best another year or two. After that, I am to fill the lines of old hopeless women who do not stand a chance of getting married, therefore proving themselves a valid member of society.

Family is sacred.

But just think about the sacrifices a woman makes to the greedy family beast. She quits her work for the family. She tolerates an unhappy marriage for the family. She tolerates domestic violence for the family.

Because without a family you are nobody.

Because family is the cell, and the individual is only part of it.

Because any part must conform to the whole.