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SDU TO RUN IN MAY 25 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN A BLOC
MARCH 15. The Self-Determination Union is going to
run in the May 25 parliamentary elections in a bloc.
According to the party's leader Parouyr Hayrikyan, as of now the
Mtavorakan Hayastan party (Intellectual Armenia) and the Arakeloutyun
Azat Hayk organization (Free Armenia Mission) have given their full
consent to join the bloc, called Liberal. Besides, among the bloc's
supporters are 10 NGOs.
Hayrikayan said that the bloc will run in the election by
majoritarian system at the polling stations 12 and 14.
"The SDU members consider that I must run in the elections by
majoritarian system," Hayrikyan said noting that unlike the previous
elections, when SDU had 21 candidates, this time the bloc will have a
33-strong list.
The bloc's motto is "The Country Must Belong to the People." The
program aims at establishing democracy in Armenia, preventing the
polarization of Armenian society and reforming the country's
electoral code. The latter objective envisages attaining 100%
party-ticket parliament, accuracy of voter's lists, balance at
electoral commissions.
"DEMOCRATIC HOMELAND" PARTY NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTIONS
MARCH 15. The "Democratic Homeland" party will not
take part in the May 25 parliamentary elections in Armenia, Chairman
of the party Petros Makeyan told a press conference.
The reason for this is, according to him, the numerous violations
committed during the presidential election. Makeyan stressed that
there is no point in participating in the parliamentary elections
under the incumbent authorities, as they will falsify the election
results just as it was done during the presidential election. He
expressed confidence that the same "guys" will be members of the new
Parliament. Makeyan reporters that the party also decided not to
nominate candidates by the single-mandate election system as well.
Makeyan stressed that all the three branches of power are in the
hands of two persons now, but he did not name them. According to him,
the monopoly of power has endangered the Constitutional order, and a
priority task of the "Democratic Homeland" party is restoration of
this order in the country, but not participating in the elections.
It is noteworthy that the former ideologist of the Armenian National
Movement (ANM) Eduard Yegorian is a co-founder of the "Democratic
Homeland" party. The party has no representatives in the Armenian
Parliament now.
INDIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES ROBERT KOCHARYAN ON HIS RE-ELECTION
MARCH 15. India's president Abdul Kalam
congratulated Armenia's president Robert Kocharyan on his re-election
to the presidential post.
The press service of the Armenian president told ARMINFO that in his
message Abdul Kalam expressed a hope that the second term of
Kocharyan's ruling the country will stimulate the further development
of bilateral relations. "We are looking forward to your visit to
India and expect that it will help us to develop multilateral,
mutually profitable and long-term relations," the message says.
Well-known Armenian based French painter Hovhannes Semerjyan-Zhansem
also congratulated Kocharyan on his re-election. In his message
Zhansem says that Kocharyan's re-election to the presidential post
means brilliant future for Armenia.
ONE OF THOSE ORDERING TIGRAN NAGHDALYAN'S MURDER DETAINED
MP MANUK GASPARIAN TO RUN FOR NEW PARLIAMENT BY TWO ELECTION SYSTEMS
MARCH 15. The member of the Armenian Parliament
Manuk Gasparian has announced his intention to run for the Parliament
of the third convocation by both the ticket and single-mandate
election systems.
Speaking at the "Azdak" discussion club, he reported that by the
single-mandate election system he will run for the Parliament in his
native 4th election district in Yerevan's Zeitun community. As
regards the ticket election system, Gasparian announced his intention
to form part of the bloc "Free, just Armenia." the bloc is to be
formed by the Unified Communist Party, Marxist party of Armenia and
politicians without party affiliation represented by Gasparian his
companions. "Even if the parliamentary election are as outrageous
as the recent presidential election, I think we will receive at
least 6-7 per cent of votes, which is enough to overcome the 5%
barrier," Gasparian said, pointing out that the negotiations for the
admission to the "Free, just Armenia" bloc are being held even with
the Vice-Chairman of the "Constitutional Right Union" party Haik
Babukhanian.
Speaking of his party affiliation, Manuk Gasparian reported that he
joined the People's Party of Armenia exclusively for the sake of
Karen Demirchian. He did not wish to join the "Unity" bloc, and
placed himself at the head of the "Motherland and Honor" party nine
months ago. However, after the party joined the "Socialist Armenia"
bloc last November, he ceased to appear at the party's office and
considers himself nonpartisan. Gasparian also presented his personal
opinion of the alignment of political forces in the Parliament of the
2003 convocation. According to him, the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) will receive 20 seats, the Republican Party 15, the
opposition bloc led by the People's Party of Armenia 15, the
"National Unity" party eight, and the "Country of Law" party will,
according to him, receive 7 per cent of the people's votes. The rest
will be occupied by "every kind of small ones." As regards the former
ruling party, the Armenian National Movement (AMN) it can hope for a
considerable number of votes, as ANM ex-members, "experts at drawing
percentage", form almost all election commissions, Gasparian said.
At the same time he stressed that the Communist Party of Armenia,
even if it succeeds in getting into Parliament, will do it with
difficulty. As regards the "Self-Determination Union (SDU) headed by
Paruyr Hairikian, and the Ramkavar Azatakan Party of Armenia headed
by Ruben Mirzakhanian, they have nothing "to catch". Also, Gasparian
said, the alliance of 14 parties, which consider themselves
oppositional and rallied around the PPA during the presidential
election, will inevitably be split and scattered even if it gets
into the Parliament.
ONLY TWO POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE SO FAR APPLIED FOR PARTICIPATING IN
MAY 25 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
MARCH 15. Only two political parties have to date applied to the Central Electoral Commission for participating in the May 25 parliamentary elections, the deadline for filing applications expiring Sunday 6 pm. These are the United Labour Party, led by deputy and businessman Gurgen Arsenyan, and the Regenerated Communist Party of Armenia, led by Yuri Manoukyan and Hrant Voskanyan, expelled from the Communist Party of Armenia in the summer 2001 because of serious discord with their comrades. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT AWARDS PROFESSOR OF RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF MUSIC ZARA DOLOUKHANOVA ORDER "FOR SERVICE TO MOTHERLAND" MARCH 15. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on awarding Professor of Russian Academy of Music after Gnesins Zara Doloukhanova an order "For Services to the Motherland" of IV degree, the press-service of the Russian President reports that Vladimir Putin awarded Zara Doloukhanova for great contribution to development of music.- GRIGOR PETROSIAN GIVES HIMSELF UP
MARCH 15. Resident of the village of Azatavan of
Armenia's Ararat region Grigor Petrosian gave himself up to
law-enforcement bodies. Noteworthy, he was wanted in the case on
the assassination of the Chairman of the Board of the Public TV
and Radio company Tigran Naghdalian.
According to the press-service of the Armenian Police Department,
due to operative search carried out by the employees of the
Prosecutor General's Office and the Police, it turned out that the
members of the gang in the period from September to November 2002
before the murder of Tigran Naghdalian prepared and tried to commit a
number of first degree crimes, including armed attacks ordered by
Hovhanness Haroutiunian (nickname Aper) and his cousin Khachik
Aghaginyan. Other accomplices have been revealed as well. Khachik
Aghaginyan was detained. The investigation is in process.-
ONE OF THOSE ORDERING TIGRAN NAGHDALYAN'S MURDER DETAINED
MARCH 15. The Armenian police have detained one of the people ordering of the murder of the chairman of the Board of Armenia's Public Television, well-known Armenian journalists Tigran Naghdalyan. Hovhannes Haroutyunyan ("Aper") was detained on one of the Yerevan streets Friday afternoon. The police have found out that in Nov 2002 Haroutyunyan gave some $10,000 to John Haroutyunyan and Felix Aroustamyan to organize the murder of the resident of the village of Ararat, Ararat region, relative of Hovhanness Haroutyunyan, Surik Melkonyan. 149 0F 192 POPULATED AREAS IN KARABAKH PROVIDED WITH INTERNAL TELEPHONE NETWORK
MARCH 15. 149 of 193 populated areas in the
Nagorni Karabakh Republic were provided with internal telephone
network by Jan 1, 2003, the NKR National Statistical Service told
ARMINFO's correspondent.
According to the source, in 41 of 44 populated areas in the Askeran
region, 31 of 42 in Martouni, 35 of 40 in Mardakert, 2 of 14 in
Shahoumyan, 7 of 9 in Shoushi have internal telephone network.
According to data by Jan 1, 2003, 2,089 cellular phones were
registered in the NKR. On the whole, by the beginning of the year,
there were 15,758 telephone subscribers in the country, 13,118 or
83.2% of them being home phones. As compared with the specified
period of 2002, the number of subscribers increased by 980 or 6.6%,
the home phones by 963 of 7.9%.-
CELLULAR COMMUNICATION COVERS 76 OF 192 POPULATED AREAS IN NKR
MARCH 15. By Jan 1, 2003, cellular communication embraced 76 of 192 populated areas in the Nagorni Karabakh Republic, the NKR National Statistical Service told ARMINFO. According to the source, 6 of the subscribers of cellular communication are the residents of towns, the remaining 70 are villagers. 34 of 41 populated areas in Karabakh use cellular communication. In 2002, the number of calls in the cellular network totalled 1101.7 thous. HEADLINES OF 15 MARCH
U.S. UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE URGES KARABAKH CONFLICT's PARTIES FOR
MUTUAL COMPROMISES IN SETTLEMENT PROCESS
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