 President Kocharian has stated that officials will do "everything in their power" for a free and fair vote.
President Kocharian is a native of Nagorno-Karabakh who governed the
Armenian-populated disputed region during and after its 1992-1994 war
with Azerbaijan. He was appointed as Armenia's prime minister in 1997,
less than a year before helping to oust then President Levon
Ter-Petrosian. Twice elected as president -- in 1998 and 2003 -- in
elections described as deeply flawed by the OSCE, Kocharian is due to
complete his second and final term in office in March 2008. But he has
indicated his intention to retain a key role in government, possibly as
prime minister, after his resignation.
Kocharian, who has weathered many political storms thanks to a canny
handling of political allies and opponents, is believed to be trying to
secure his political future through a thinly veiled sponsorship of a new
but rapidly growing party, Prosperous Armenia, led by the country's most
influential oligarch, Gagik Tsarukian. The Prosperous Armenia Party is
now widely regarded as Kocharian's new support base. Hence, his vested
interest in its strong showing in the elections.
The 52-year-old president could contribute to that performance with his
strong influence on election commissions and control of the security
agencies and the electronic media.
In particular, he appoints at least one of the nine members of the
Central Election Commission (CEC) and its territorial divisions. The
current CEC chairman, Garegin Azarian is a staunch Kocharian ally.
Kocharian is also believed to control another commission seat, which is
legally reserved for Armenia's highest court. Equally important is his
loyal security apparatus which resorted to mass arrests of opposition
activists protesting the outcome of the 2003 presidential elections.
Similar arrests are expected if such demonstrations are repeated
following the 2007 parliamentary vote. The Armenian police, National
Security Service and the Prosecutor-General's Office also played a key
role in the opposition's failure in spring 2004 to replicate the 2003
Rose Revolution in neighboring Georgia.
In addition, Kocharian controls, both directly and indirectly, the news
coverage of virtually all national TV channels. This is especially true
for the two networks able to reach all regions outside of Yerevan, the
state-owned Armenian Public Television and the private Second Channel.
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