Opposition Most Active in 2011, But Public Still Left with Unanswered Questions: Opinion

In terms of political activity in 2011, it was the Armenian National Congress (HAK) that got our attention, reflected in terms of both the number of rallies and the questions it raised, said head of the Department of Political Institutions and Processes at Yerevan State University Garik Keryan, summing up the political year at a discussion organized by the National Press Club in Yerevan today.

“The questions raised at the rallies and the Armenian National Congress’ strategy was mainly tied to the demand for snap elections. Let’s note that the strategy of pre-term elections didn’t end successfully because one way or another early elections didn’t happen in Armenia, but in any case, a major wave of debate on this issue took place and the question of early elections was one of the key points of the political process,” he said.

Keryan considered the dialogue between the opposition and the ruling coalition which took place this past summer a “great achievement”, the suspending of which, however, according to the professor, left the public uncertain.

“HAK presented an extensive document which placed into question and tried to substantiate the legitimacy of the authorities, but we never received an appropriate response from the authorities,” he said.

A major event of the past year, the professor continued, was the reform of the Electoral Code, in which, however, according to him, there was an omission — the public, till the end, didn’t understand how this reform will improve elections.

An important characteristic of Armenia’s political arena in 2011, according to Keryan, was the undersupply of political projects and concepts, resulting in “no battle of projects in the pre-election year,” he said.