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Kocharyan: Outcomes of snap elections are ‘predetermined’

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The outcomes of the upcoming early parliamentary elections in Armenia are certainly predetermined against the backdrop of the euphoria dominating the society, former President Robert Kocharyan said in an interview to Lenta.ru Russian news agency.

“Some part of the electorate in Armenia is in a state of euphoria today and is not ready for a substantial debate. This points to increasing risks of a wrong decision making,” he said.

Commenting on Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent resignation as PM and the developments that followed, Kocharyan stressed he had no doubts that “they would stage this show to call early elections.”

“There is nothing surprising about it given the fact that the other political forces failed to demonstrate the necessary political will to team up to prevent all this,” Kocharyan noted.

Asked whether he expects the elections to put an end to the ‘current instability in the country or to herald the beginning of a new turmoil’, Kocharyan says they mark a ‘turning point’ for Armenia.

“The prime minister is consolidating power that will lead to the formation of a one-party parliament to be fully dominated by one political force. I don’t think such a situation can secure a long-lasting stability. All the other political parties have stated that they are not ready for such a scenario,” he said.

Asked whether he is ready to head the developing opposition in Armenia, he said: “I have serious grounds to worry about Armenia’s future. It motivates me to somehow influence these processes. How much I will succeed will become clear through the course of time, but I think my past, present and the experience I have allow me to play a significant role in the Armenian politics.”

Kocharyan: Pashinyan is a meteorite or a comet that is fading away quickly

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YEREVAN. – Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan compared incumbent Armenian PM to a meteorite and a comet that is fading away very quickly.

Kocharyan believes four months are enough to understand how competent the authorities are and what values they are based on. In his words, incumbent Armenian authorities’ actions are chaotic, they know nothing about economics and do not have a clear action plan.

“There is a quite bright leader, but his unwise aspirations to populism are causing concern. This resembles me Hugo Chavez style Latin American populism.”

He slammed a model of governance when there is “one sun in the sky, and he is a number one person. There is no number two, five or ten.” According to Kocharyan, such a model cannot exist for in long-term perspective.

Answering to a remark that there are many post-Soviet countries where there is one sun, and unbearable conditions are created for the others who want to be engaged in politics, ex-president said “if the sun has managerial experience, skills and knowledge, he knows economy and is focused on long-term interests” it is another thing. If the sun is not predictable and hysterical, this may lead to a catastrophe, he emphasized.

“Four months have passed. Pashinyan might be a meteorite or a comet, which is fading away very quickly.”

 

Yerevan protesters call to terminate the powers of judge who freed Kocharyan

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YEREVAN. – The protesters in Yerevan headed to the office of the Supreme Judicial Council demanding the termination of Judge Alexander Azaryan’s powers who had freed Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal granted Robert Kocharyan’s legal defenders’ appeal to commute the first-instance court’s decision on remanding their client in custody, and Kocharyan was released from courtroom.

The protesters, who had assembled in downtown Yerevan, burst into the hall where the press conference of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan was about the kick off on Tuesday.

After ruining the press conference, activists reached to the General Attorney’s Office and continued the action there.

 

38 MPs present personal guarantees for changing court’s decision to remand ex-President Kocharyan into custody

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38 MPs have filed personal guarantees for changing the court’s decision to remand 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan into custody, Viktor Soghomonyan – head of the 2nd President’s Office, told Armenpress, adding that this list is not final yet, the petition continues.

“Lawmakers from different factions participated in the petition. Later I will release the list, it’s not a secret list, the petition still is underway, I think several MPs will also join the list”, Soghomonyan said, adding that Speaker of the Parliament Ara Babloyan and Vice Speakers Arpine Hovhannisyan and Eduard Sharmazanov have also signed the form.

Asked whether they have appealed the court ruling to remand Kocharyan into custody to the Court of Appeal, Viktor Soghomonyan said they haven’t submitted the appeal yet, but the attorneys will submit it today.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan has been charged on July 26 over the 2008 March 1 case. He has been remanded into custody.

 

Kocharyan to appeal court ruling today

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Former President Robert Kocharyan will appeal the court’s ruling to remand him in pre-trial custody today to the court of appeals.

Kocharyan’s attorney Aram Orbelyan told ARMENPRESS they plan to appeal the ruling today. “We will appeal the ruling and then more detailed information concerning the results of the investigation will be available,” he said.

Asked about Kocharyan’s current mood, Orbelyan said the former president is in normal mood and he is working out.

 

Criticism From Ex-Prez’s Team: Kocharyan aide questions legitimacy of Dec. 6 referendum

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robert-khocharyan_7_0_0_0Former President Robert Kocharyan’s confidante has spoken of “systematic” fraud in Armenia’s recent constitutional referendum that formally approved the government-backed proposal of curtailing presidential powers in favor of the National Assembly.

Viktor Soghomonyan, the head of Kocharyan’s office, implied in an interview with the former president’s unofficial website, 2rd.am, on Wednesday that the December 6 voting fell short of giving a popular mandate to current President Serzh Sargsyan to turn the country into a parliamentary republic.

“What happened can hardly be called an expression of popular will on the constitutional changes,” Soghomonyan said. “The systematic nature of blatant violations registered by various political parties, civil movements, observers and media outlets deprives the referendum results of a popular perception of legitimacy.”

Representatives of President Sargsyan’s ruling Republican Party of Armenia were quick to reject the fraud claims. One of them, Vaghram Baghdasaryan, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that Sunday’s referendum was “incomparably” more democratic than national ballots held during Kocharyan’s 1998-2008 presidency, including the 2005 referendum on constitutional amendments.

Kocharyan had criticized the government-proposed changes to the Constitution in a series of interviews before the referendum.

He said they were unnecessary and even dangerous for Armenia as they contained risks of creating a one-party rule situation in the country.

The other former president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan (1991-1998), has also been critical of the controversial reform. His opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) party had called for a “No” vote to turn the constitutional referendum into a “vote of no confidence” in the Sargsyan government. Currently, the ANC is disputing the outcome of the referendum along with a number of other opposition parties and groups.

In an interview with representatives of leading television channels on December 2, President Sargsyan also addressed criticism from his predecessors. He said there could be many reasons for such criticism, but singled out only one: “A person for ten years led our country, and in the process constitutions were adopted, the first Constitution, then constitutional changes. You see, the Basic Law of the country is like a child. Now, they [current authorities] want to change it. I understand it; had they thought otherwise, the Constitution would be different, or changes would be different. These are their convictions.”