Armen Martirosyan, member of the opposition ‘Heritage’ party told VK about the recent elections to the Central Executive Committee and future parliamentary elections, due to take place next spring, as well as sharing his opinion on the current talks between the ruling party and the opposition coalition – the ANC.
- Has the staff of the Central Executive Committee changed considerably? Is it enough to make a difference?
- The fact that the present head of this department, Garegin Azaryan, was elected once again, shows how corrupt and dependent on the authorities our Review Court is. In fact, the entire judicial system isn’t independent and follows the president’s lead. The elections to the Committee just proved our point: the Armenian authorities are unable to organize free, transparent and honest elections. However, the authorities took certain steps to meet our demands, but it is not enough to change the political climate in the country. The elections just strengthened the negative element. So we call on all people of Armenia, the public, to start fighting against the fraud already planned by the ruling party for parliamentary and presidential elections in 2012 and 2013.
- What are your expectations concerning the opposition’s dialogue with the government?
- They are not high. The negotiations stopped being fruitful a long time ago, and now it’s just endless stalling. This dialogue is incapable of solving the urgent problems our country is facing; in fact, these problems are not even on the agenda. Of course, some ANC members might enter governing structures as a result of this dialogue, but the Armenian people have nothing to gain from it.
- These problems you are referring to, are they reflected by the recent Forbes rating?
- Well, as a citizen and resident of Armenia, I form my opinion concerning the state of Armenian economy based on my own experiences, and not on Forbes ratings. But I have to agree that they are pretty accurate. And the number of migrants from Armenia over the past year is the best proof. Small and medium-sized enterprises have to leave the country due to the economic conditions. Sometimes I think that it benefits the current administration in a way, as it creates a more stable political atmosphere. But this effect can’t be a long term one, as our authorities risk ruining Armenia’s economy completely. So I think we should focus on creating a political force capable of restoring the Armenian economy and solving social problems.
- Do you think the authorities will implement a quota system during the 2012 elections?
- I don’t think so. But either way, it has nothing to do with the real needs and opinions of the Armenian people. Instead of implementing their resources to serve the interests of the whole society, the authorities use them only for their own benefit.
- As a result of its dialogue with the government, the ANC is expected to gain parliamentary seats in 2012. Wouldn’t this be at the expense of the “Heritage” Party?
- We managed to gain seats in 2007, when the prognosis was even worse. I think we’ll manage in 2012 as well. There is no other political force in Armenia that could take our places in the parliament. And I don’t think that the entrance of the ANC into the parliament will be followed by any drastic changes in the Armenian political system.
- And what about the ‘Prosperous Armenia’ Party?
- This is the party that suffered maximum damage from this opposition-government dialogue, as it was forced to sign the joint-memorandum. And it is possible that the ANC are going to get this party’s mandates. I think it is even possible that the ANC will eventually become part of a new governmental coalition, as their approaches towards external policies are basically the same. However, Armenian external policy is too dependent on such external factors as relations with Turkey, the Karabakh conflict, etc., so the situation may change dramatically in the event of any of these factors changing.
Interview by David Stepanyan, Yerevan, exclusively to VK
The entrance of the ANC into parliament won’t be followed by any drastic changes in the Armenian political system

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