Press Review, May 25-27, 1999
Final Number of Candidates
In their May 25 issues the dailies reported about the final number of candidates who will run in the May 30 parliamentary elections. According to the Electoral Code, candidates running by majoritarian vote and parties and blocs running by proportional vote have the right to withdraw from the elections not later than 10 days before voting day. According to the Central Election Commission, the final number of candidates running by proportional list is 1002, and those running by majoritarian vote is 626. The number of majoritarian candidates by marzes and Yerevan is the following: Yerevan - 196 candidates, Aragatsotn Marz - 34, Ararat Marz - 47, Armavir Marz - 44, Gegharkunik Marz - 45, Lori Marz - 60, Kotayk Marz - 70, Shirak Marz - 69, Syunik Marz - 24, Vayots Dzor Marz - 5, and Tavush Marz - 32 candidates.
President Kocharyan Confident that Formation of Parliamentary Majority Will Enable Stable Development
Hayastani Hanrapetutyun, Azg, Hayots Ashkhar and Aravot reported on President Kocharyan's visit to the town of Dilijan (Tavoush Marz) during the weekend. Speaking about the campaign, President Kocharyan said that the political forces involved in the campaign are creating tensions among themselves which is undesirable, especially because they might form coalitions in the future Parliament. He did not deny that during this last week of campaign he noticed some undesirable trends regarding the relations between the two forces on whom he relies (Defense Minister Vazgen Sargssyan and Minister of Interior and National Security Serge Sargssyan). Regarding the involvement of the Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministers' involvement in the campaign, Kocharyan said that in general the army should not participate in the elections. However, if the law on civil servants is adopted and such positions have civilian status as in the established democracies, such participation will be natural and acceptable. At the same time he shares Vazgen Sargssyan's opinion that although in principle the defense ministers' participation is wrong, in this situation it is unavoidable. The President is sure that the situation in the country will be more stable and calm if there is a majority in the Parliament and that majority has a connection to the government. His attitude towards the Unity Bloc is positive. Regarding the Prime Minister's candidacy, Kocharyan said that it depends on which forces will be represented in the government and in what proportion, especially concerning the Unity Bloc and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He also mentioned that overrepresentation of left-oriented political forces in the National Assembly will be dangerous in the context of cooperation with the international financial organizations and foreign investment flow to Armenia.
Spelling Mistake on Ballots
As Azg, Hayots Ashkhar and Zhamanak reported in the 25 May session of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), Hamlet Abrahamyan, representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), informed members of the Commission that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is spelled incorrectly on the ballots. The Chairman of the CEC, Artak Sahradyan, said that they had discussed the issue with representatives of the Supreme Body of the ARF and came to consensus not to recognize ballots as an invalid but instead to inform the Armenian public through the mass media about the spelling mistake. Both sides were concerned that reprinting the ballots would have a significant negative impact on the state budget.
President Kocharyan Meets with Officials on Elections
The dailies reported that on May 26 President Robert Kocharyan met with the officials upon whom the normal performance of the elections is dependent. Among these officials were Minister of Interior and National Security, Prosecutor-General of the Republic, Minister of Justice, Minister of Energy, Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Deputy Ministers of Interior and National Security, heads of the Marz departments of that Ministry and Prosecutors of the Marzes. Kocharyan said that based on the power given to him as the President by the Constitution he is obliged to ensure the performance of free, fair and legitimate elections, and that those officials present are the heads of those institutions through whom he can carry out these activities. Kocharyan said he thinks that law and order will dominate on May 30 and that all who violate the law will be punished. Any pressure on the courts will be excluded. Appealing to the participants of the meeting, Kocharyan said that if there are those who are not sure that they can control the situation in their territories on May 30, should inform him immediately. He also asked journalists to respond quickly on election day to all incidents and to make them known to the public. Also, Kocharyan asked the Minister of Energy to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the precincts. Later Kocharyan met with the leadership of the Central and Regional Election Commissions. He asserted that the CEC and RECs bear special responsibility for ensuring legitimate elections and that any pressure on them should be excluded. One of Kocharyan's major concerns was the principle of the commissions' formation defined by the Electoral Code (five members representing factions in the current NA, five representing the five parties not having factions in NA but who collected the most number of signatures, and three members representing the government). That principle, he claimed, does not promote a normal atmosphere in the electoral commissions.
Defense Minister's Appeal
Most of the dailies published Vazgen Sargssyan’s (Minister of Defense and leader of the Unity Bloc) appeal to Armenian citizens. Sargssyan wrote that based on his impressions during campaign rallies as well as 12,000 letters he has received from voters, the social and economic condition of the population of Armenia is even worse than he had previously understood. In such a situation people should not compromise their beliefs and conscience or sell their right to be the masters of their land but should vote based on their beliefs to become responsible for the future of their homeland. Any violation of the law and falsifications will be a heavy blow upon the interests of the country. Sargssyan also appeals to the soldiers and officers of the national army. He asks them to consider him as one of the candidates running in these elections, and not as Minister of Defense. The army will be the focus of attention and should show its maturity as a participant of democratic elections. Sargssyan says that the future of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh depends on these elections, not on who will be elected but rather on how the deputies are elected.
Central Election Commission Extraordinary Meeting
During a May 26 extraordinary meeting of the Central Election Commission, the final version of the ballot design for proportional list voting was discussed. Another point of the agenda was on the mechanism of how to inform Precinct Election Commissions (PEC) about corrections to errors in the voting lists -- the CEC decided to send a universal notice to all PECs. The OSCE monitors made a request to CEC asking for a change in the decision regarding international monitors. Their request was to add the phrase "in the case of international monitors - two representatives" in the decision, meaning that two international monitors can be allowed in one precinct for monitoring. This request passed with unanimous vote. Armenouhi Zohrabyan, CEC Secretary, said that Armenian Embassies are sending lists of Armenian citizens who are living abroad and who will vote in the Embassies. The CEC decided to forward the lists immediately to Regional Electoral Commissions so that they can exclude these citizens from their voting lists.