 |
| |
News, 02 Mar, 2007.
|
All newspapers report that yesterday political parties continued releasing their proportional lists. Among those parties were:
Prosperous Armenia - The list includes: Gagik Tsarukian, Aram Isabekian (Rector of the Arts Academy), Gohar Yenokian (Head of the “Garun” Production Unit), Ishkhan Zakarian (Head of the State Sports Committee), Vardan Vardanian (Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication), Harutiun Kushkian (Director of Erebuni Medical Center), and Mkhitar Vardanian (Chairman of the Armenian Red Cross). The list also includes reporters Naira Zohrabian (previously from Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper, presently working with Kentron TV station) and Aram Safarian (Former News Director of Armenian Second TV Channel). Avet Adonts from the Presidential Staff and Ernest Soghomonian, the father of Presidential Spokesperson Victor Soghomonian, are also included on the proportional list of the Prosperous Armenia Party. The daily ARAVOT points out that one of the brothers of Moscow-based tycoon Ara Abrahamian is on the list of the Republican Party, while his other brother is on the Prosperous Armenia list.
National Democratic Party – The list is topped by the leader of the party, Shavarsh Kocharian, followed by Hranush Kharatian, the head of the government department of National and Religious Minorities. Thirty three percent of the people on the list are women.
New Times Party – The list is comprised of 62 people. The first person on the list is the leader of the party, Aram Karapetian.
Democratic Path and Alliance of National Democrats Parties – These two parties submitted a joint list. Leader of the Democratic Path Party Manuk Gasparian is the first on the list, followed by leader of the National Democratic Alliance Arshak Sadoyan.
HAYOTS ASHKHAR notes that the Liberal Progressive Party of Armenia, led by Hovhannes Hovhannisian, will participate in the parliamentary elections on its own.
Newspapers mention that yesterday the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia registered the “Impeachment” pre-election opposition bloc, established by the Conservative Party and the Democratic Motherland Party.
HAYASTANI HANRAPETUTIUN reports that the Eurasia Foundation has launched a two-year anticorruption program to increase the role of Armenia’s government, civil society and the media in the fight against corruption. The program is supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). According to the newspaper, this new initiative will increase the role of the Armenian Government, civil society and media in the fight against corruption through a combination of trainings, international study tours, grants and network development.
HAYASTANI HANRAPETUTIUN emphasized that about 100 people in Baku attacked the office of Real Azerbaijan and Daily Azerbaijan newspapers, demanding that the chief editor of the newspapers be deprived of citizenship and be expelled from Azerbaijan. The rally was organized due to the chief editor’s statement that Khojalu refugees were executed and their bodies were disfigured by Azerbaijanis. The participants in the protest broke the window of the office and threw eggs at the office. The police watched the attack without interfering.
HAYASTANI HANRAPETUTIUN specifies that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in an interview with Trend news agency that the Azerbaijani side has agreed to the suggestion of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen to conduct the next meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Geneva March 13-14. HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK stresses that, according to their information, the Armenian side also agreed to the meeting in Geneva, though they have not yet confirmed it.
HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK published an article saying that members of the opposition People’s Party of Stepan Demirchian have begun suspecting their leader of betrayal and corruption. The daily says that long-time party member Smbat Yeghiazarian, secretary of its Abovian branch, is set to expose Demirchian’s secret deals with the authorities, which it says would cause severe damages to his image. The newspaper says that the core of these allegations is that Demirchian has been collaborating with the regime since last September in return for them allowing him to have five percent of the seats in the next parliament. The daily reminds that Yeghiazarian was close to Demirchian’s father Karen, and was one of the party’s founders.
ARAVOT points out that several days ago the morning program of Radio Liberty was inaudible, and yesterday the main evening program was not aired at all. The newspaper reminds readers that Radio Liberty was periodically inaudible during the period of the constitutional referendum.
ARAVOT published a short front page article entitled, “The Announcements at the National Assembly Were Censored,” according to which only four out of ten statements made at the National Assembly on February 27 were aired on February 28. The newspaper notes that during a press conference on February 26, Chairman of the Public TV and Radio Board Aleksan Harutiunian said that the announcements will be aired fully and only “bad language” would be cut.
HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK, ARAVOT, AZG and RFE/RL state that yesterday another family in downtown Yerevan whose old house has been confiscated by the state to be torn down by private real estate developers was forced to evict by security forces. According to RFE/RL, “The family of nine persons were forced out of their eight-room property after refusing to accept a $23,000 compensation offered by municipal authorities. Citing “public needs,” the authorities have decided to give it to the owner of an adjacent building housing a night club and a department store. The evicted residents say the proposed compensation is worth a fraction of the market value of their home and insufficient even for buying a tiny apartment on the city outskirts. The authorities counter that the sum is modest partly because some parts of the house were constructed illegally.”
According to HAYASTANI HANRAPETUTIUN, the Armenian parliament failed to convene yesterday for the second consecutive day because of the absence of a quorum. In the morning, only seven lawmakers turned out in the parliament. After waiting for three hours the chairman had to cancel yesterday’s session because 15 lawmakers registered for the session.
HAYASTANI HANRAPETUTIUN writes that yesterday the government of Armenia approved a five-year national plan of action to combat HIV/AIDS through 2011. For the implementation of the program, 33 million USD will be required. Twenty-five percent of this money is expected to come from the government.
ARAVOT and HAYASTANI HANRAPETUTIUN underline that according to the World Economic Report, Armenian ranks 74 in tourism out of 124 countries. According to the newspaper, Azerbaijan is 74th. |
|
|
|
