By Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
On September 25, the Armenian government reappointed Surik Khachatryan as the governor of the Syunik province. The decision was a shock for political forces, public, experts and journalists. The bewilderment of the public is comparable with the reaction to the new government of Ovik Abramyan that had a more overt inclination towards the criminal and oligarchic system. Yervand Zakaryan became the minister for energy, Narek Sarkisyan the minister for urban planning and Gagik Khachatryan became the minister for finances.
Surik Khachatryan said after the reappointment that his remaining in office was unsurprising.
"The reappointment of Khachatryan as the governor of Syunik is a shameful slap in the face of society," states ex-Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanyan.
Yuri Safaryan, the rector of the Gori branch of the State University, says that, besides extreme grievance, the province is dominated by an atmosphere of fear and apathy: "The majority of the population cannot express its protest, many are leaving the province, then Armenia. However, in any case, there will be people to take part in protests."
Tigran Karapetyan, a businessman from Syunik, said that he ended all investment programs in Goris (the capital of the province) after the appointment of Khachatryan. The public quandary is motivated by the scandalous persona of Khachatryan, he has been sentenced several times, directly or indirectly involved in some outrageous stories, the problem of his dismissal in summer 2013.
On the night of June 2, 2013, Khachatryan's son and the governor's security officers had a quarrel with brothers Budagyan, resulting in shooting at the governor's house. Avetik Budagyan, the ex-candidate for Goris mayor, was killed and Artak Budagyan, his brother, the commander of a military base in Nagorno-Karabakh, was gravely wounded. Nikolai Abramyan, a security guard and relative of the governor, was wounded as well. According to the governor himself, he was sleeping soundly when the shooting happened.
A criminal case was initiated into murder and illegal possession of weapons. Zarzand Nokogosyan, a security officer of the governor, and 19-year-old Tigran were arrested, only to be released later...
After the incident, Surik Khachatryan said that he resigned as the governor until the end of the investigation, though the law did not allow to do so. On June 6, the government of Armenia dismissed him. A year ago, the public had hopes that the government had given up on one of its people. Vardan Gukasyan, an ex-mayor of Gyumri, and his relatives were terrorizing the city for a long time. Ex-Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, involved in an off-shore scandal, did get away with his machinations but the government failed to give any explanation for his resignation. Eventually Sargsyan became the ambassador to the U.S.
The government was absolutely impervious in the case of Yerevan ex-Mayor Taron Margaryan's illegal income of $10 million. The opposition drew attention to his income declaration, filled before the municipal elections of May 2013.
The reproduction of the authorities has become an integral part of the political processes, substituting for elections. In this reproduction process, criminals and associated functionaries take an active part. The system is based on the mechanism of protecting the riches accrued by the ruling regime. This circumstance is one of the main factors of unity of the ruling elite.
"Liska [Khachatryan's nickname] is one of the key figures of the Armenian ruling system, and when the system is trying to crystallize in the context of a second wind, Liska cannot stay out of the circle. The appointment fits into the domestic political situation of Armenia in all its "charm"," says 1in.am columnist Ovannes Mandakuni.
The political power has been supporting the criminal and oligarchic elite since the rule of Robert Kocharyan. The elite's economic and moral-psychological support plays a key role in the reproduction of authorities. The criminal-oligarchic system, where Khachatryan is a bright element, is one of the main pillars of the current government. The return of the ex-governor may resemble a new stage in the development of the government.
Observers believe that the government needs reliable people for the upcoming referendum on constitutional reforms of 2016. Judging by the logic, according to some experts, the next step of President Serzh Sargsyan would be to return Gyumri ex-Mayor Vardan Gukasyan to power.
The modern history of Armenia shows that the society has been able to fight such bright manifestations of cynicism. The appointment of such odious figures as Khachatryan to high-ranking posts in the system of state power seems more like a demonstration of weakness of the government, not of society.
