EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Controversial Amendments Stoke Domestic Political Tension in Armenia

EURASIA INSIGHT

CONTROVERSIAL AMENDMENTS STOKE DOMESTIC POLITICAL TENSION IN ARMENIA
Haroutiun Khachatrian 7/02/02

Bitter parliamentary debate over controversial amendments that would effectively allow the pro-presidential legislative leadership to muzzle the opposition may be a harbinger of a summer of political confrontation in Armenia.

Supporters of President Robert Kocharian introduced the amendments on rules governing parliamentary procedure after an unsuccessful effort by opposition MPs to impeach the Armenian chief executive. The amendments, drafted by the government, would enable the parliament speaker, who currently is a Kocharian backer, to order any legislator deemed unruly out of the legislative chamber, and to ban a MP from attending sessions for up to two weeks. The speaker could also call on law-enforcement agents to enforce decisions.

Opposition leaders have denounced the amendments, saying their aim is to stifle dissent. "This authority has once again chosen the path of illegality, threats and blackmail, which has no prospects," Stepan Demirchyan, leader of the People’s Party of Armenia, told the Aravot newspaper on June 25. "The authority’s own moves are deepening the distrust of the people."

The fierce reaction to the amendments prompted the pro-presidential faction in parliament on June 28 to seek a two-week postponement of a vote.

The amendments are the government’s response to incidents in parliament on June 10 and 11, when opposition deputies seized the floor and blocked debate in the National Assembly on several pieces of legislation. Pro-presidential MPs denounced the de facto filibuster, with Prime Minister Andranik Margarian characterizing the opposition’s action as "madness."

Kocharian helped stoke political tension in mid June with an announcement that he would issue a decree enabling the police to detain unruly deputies and hold them overnight. He described the tumultuous turn of events in parliament as "hooliganism."

Opposition MPs insist their action was justified because of Speaker Armen Khachatrian’s refusal to place the question of Kocharian’s impeachment on the legislative agenda. Kocharian supporters said there was no legal substantiation to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president.

Opposition MPs say Khachatrian exceeded his authority in quashing discussion of the impeachment issue, adding that only the Constitutional Court had the authority to rule on the question. Kocharian critics want to impeach the president in connection with the government’s handling of the October 1999 parliament assassination inquiry and prosecution. Some opposition leaders say Kocharian should be held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the gunmen to gain access to the parliament. Meanwhile, the Republic Party issued a statement that claimed that some government members were attempting to cover up their complicity in the parliament shootings. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Opposition MPs have vowed to renew their bid for impeachment proceedings when the parliament convenes again in the fall.

Given that Kocharian enjoys majority support in parliament, local political analysts express surprise that the Speaker refused to allow debate on impeachment. It is highly unlikely, they add, that Kocharian critics could have cobbled together enough votes to launch impeachment proceedings. The speaker’s decision is indicative that Kocharian feels politically vulnerable as the country begins to prepare for presidential elections next April, some analysts say.

"Kocharian has no real political support base" said Vardan Vardanian, an analyst with the A1+ TV company, which has been embroiled in a dispute with the president over the revocation of a broadcast license [For background see the EurasiaNet Human Rights archive]. "No party (besides the Ramkavar-Azatakan Party of Armenia) has appeared so far to announce that they are going to support Kocharian in the upcoming elections."

Analysts point out that Kocharian’s political difficulties have deepened in recent months. He has feuded with an influential constituency � the Yerkrapah Union of Volunteers � and Armenia’s ties with both Russia and the United States have eroded slightly. [For more information, see the Eurasia Insight archive]. For example, the United States sharply criticized Kocharian over the revocation of the A1+ TV license. In addition, Kocharian’s relationship with Defense Minister Serge Sargsian appears to have become strained.

In an interview with the newspaper Ayots Ashkar, Sargsian called for an immediate end to the parliamentary infighting, suggesting that it was undermining the country’s national security. "The behavior of some people who are trying to destabilize the country is unacceptable," Sargsian said. "We, the authorities, should deal with such people more seriously. We should implement the country’s laws more strictly."

Editor�s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer specializing in economic and political affairs.

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