A Critical View on Armenia’s Elections
A reader of Blogian has sent a very critical letter in regards to Armenia’s praised-as-democratic elections suggesting that the reason there was no major outcry against the elections among ordinary Armenians was because people have completely lost their hope toward democracy in Armenia and predicted the exact turnout of the vote – people who are in charge staying in charge – long time ago.
I guess the critic is right in the sense that “everybody knows” who is Armenia’s next president and it doesn’t really talk about democracy. Anyhow, you read and judge.
Actualy [fair time] media coverage or whatever has nothing to do with European observers opinion.
It was 110% political decision because S. Sargsyan [the current prime minister that “everybody knows” will be the president next year] is much more
American/European supporter than Kocharyan [the current president],thats why they have let one party to get 50+% of whole parliament [actually that’s not the case].
That means that in Karabakh case Armenia will now have much softer
position,the same time both western civilizations want Armenian to scream
about Genocide as loud as possible because they want to weaken Turkey
to make it more manageable.
But the question you should ask is what it has to do with Armenians
living in Armenia ?
That means continue of white genocide. According to officials more than 38% of population depends on transfer from their relatives abroad and none official data says more than half of the population depends on transfers.
Its been three years since USD->AMD [Armenian money] exchange rate is “droping” since Armenian economy is “growing”. It has droped by 45% during last 3 years.
For people who rely on transfers that means they they got poor by half during last three years.
The same time they hold prices in local currency high and wont let them
drop so you have to spend more dollars to live the same way you did three
years ago.
That means about $1,000 for the family of 4 to survive.Yerevan [Armenia’s capital] is now 18th most expensive city in the world, we are somewhere next to Amsterdam and similar developed cities, but the same time we are on 80th place according to UN reports. Something is wrong, the country with no natural resources and half of population of which depends on transfer has 18th most expensive city accross the planet ?
European observers expressed political decision. In fact this time the “elections” were the worst in out history, there was no fight
between parties at all, everyone knew what will happen many months
before elections.This campaign was so weak that one can tell you that
there was no campaign at all.Republicans sold their soles to foreigne countries, in exchange west let
them do whatever they want inside Armenia,there has never been less
democracy here as now.I am, and not only me, deeply disapointed in Europe or whatever Western
civilization “democratic,transparent etc” elections,that was the last hope that they will stop whats happening here now.
Prices are rising by 20% a year, more people will leave Armenia in
coming years so that Serge Sargsyan and company can drive anobe Mybach [Blogian doesn’t know what the last thing is but he thinks it is a new kind of car].
I guess the bottom line of the e-mail is a challenge to the status-quo of neo-liberalism where “free trade” and other forms of governance are hailed as democratic while ordinary people are getting poorer and poorer. A perfect example of this would be India.
One Response to “A Critical View on Armenia’s Elections”
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Can D. on 07 Jun 2007 at 4:26 am #
actually i think the gist of the letter is to break free of bears hold and step into the modern world where you cooperate with your neighboors and build working relationships.
had Karabag not been invaded turkey and azerbaijan would not have closed its borders. and with open borders trade would have flourished. with trade people intermingling and cultural understanding over time. but what happened? why did it happen?
had armenia elected to side with the west it would not have had russia’s bear hug nor its mafia controlling every shipment in (since nothing gets shipped out). had it decided not to be a russian tool once again its border with georgia would have had no problems. would not have the tiny country spending (offically) over $300M on arms (unofficially ±$1bil).
and what do you think armenia, the state, will look like ten years from now?
dont blame it on globalism or the neo-liberals. look at turkey, do they have an extra gene or extra-terestrial help?! be objective for a second and think?
its the choices that the diaspora make for armenia that is choking it, its fledling democracy non existant economy. if its current rulers had the guts to stop kissing russia and sided with the west, with the help of its diaspora could have become one of the rising stars of the old Soviet. and without all the cloak&dager it would have had a chance at establishing democracy instead of shooting in its parliament.
while diaspora sit comfortably in CA writing out a yearly donation of $100 the armenian citizens suffer. as the letter calls into attention more each year. and god knows where those donations go. what percentage to the transport mafia, what percentage to x-kgb/soviet bosses and what percentage to the people…
or in another 20 years Armenia will be nothing more then a wasteland.
and if by some lack of luck anything goes bad with the nuclear reactor which is running against all EU advise it will become a toxic-wasteland with a radiated gene pool…
people wake up! dont let what ever your interpretation of history may be taint your future.