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If anyone is interested I wrote a comprehensive article about the 2012 National Assembly elections — perhaps the most important elections since 1991 although few understand this — for the Armenian Weekly. Here’s an excerpt:

In what will either be viewed as a memorable political triumph or the start of an endless campaign of protests, the Republican Party of Armenia claimed victory in the Armenian National Assembly elections on May 6.
Although international news reports had predicted a win for the Republicans, most leaders of the other political parties vying for seats in the National Assembly had been anticipating a less than highly favorable turnout for the ruling party.
According to data posted by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) the Republican Party of Armenia won by a landslide with 44 percent of the vote, amounting to over 663,000 ballots in their favor. The Prosperous Armenia Party came in at a distant second place with 30 percent, just short of 454,700 votes.
The Armenian National Congress, an opposition bloc composed of numerous smaller, obscure political parties led by former president Levon Ter-Petrossyan, barely passed the 7 percent minimum it needed to win its first-ever presence in parliament.
Both ARF-Dashnaktsutyun and the Heritage/Free Democrats party alliance managed to slide across the threshold needed for representation in the National Assembly, with each earning approximately 5.7 percent of the vote.

I’m going to be honest and say that I am appalled by the lack of debate about the outcome of the elections, the results of which were undoubtedly manipulated. The indifference is really depressing. I truly believe that the actual results were never revealed by the Central Electoral Commission and were instead invented by the authorities, likely the president himself judging from the numbers released.

Anyway, back to work…

I was going to pen a few words here on the eve of the National Assembly elections, but since I don’t necessarily have anything else to add other than what I wrote in my latest op-ed piece for the Armenian Weekly, and considering that I really don’t know how interested readers of this blog are in politics, I’ll simply insert a link to the piece.

I will reiterate however that Armenia’s future is riding on these elections. They will be a true test as to whether democracy can really work and whether public discontent will finally he heard with their needs properly and promptly addressed. As a direct result of the pretend-not-to-notice laissez-faire employed by this Armenian government, apathy has a strong choke-hold on the citizenry of Armenia and the population of the country is dwindling fast. So if the socio-political climate of Armenia doesn’t change soon, and I mean Monday,  there’s no telling what things will be like even a few months from now.

The future of Armenia lies solely in the hands of Armenian citizens. Let’s hope and pray they realize this on Sunday morning and get out the vote.

Today I had the great pleasure of interviewing Baroness Nicholson, who is the head of the PACE elections monitoring delegation and one of the most charming women I have ever met in my life. She talked about the role of the parliamentary observers, the various aspects of the mission, progress in pre-election activities and her optimism for a brighter Armenia.

The last month was certainly very exciting for me. I had the rare opportunity to meet several well-known Armenian politicians and foreign dignitaries, and was able to walk away with a well-rounded impression about what can be expected in the elections. I have a strong feeling that we should be prepared for an entire new ballgame here in the Hairenik beginning May 7.

This morning I conducted an interview with National Assembly and ARF-Dashnaktsutyun Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisyan. This interview was by far among the most important in the series, and it almost didn’t happen due to his tight campaigning schedule. I respect Mr. Hovhannisyan very much and even endorsed him back in 2008 when he was running for president of Armenia.

In the interview he discusses the lack of democracy in Armenia, the methods to prevent electoral fraud, cooperation with other parties in the National Assembly, implementing a socialist agenda and strengthening civil society.

Go to Hetq Online to watch the interview.

Yesterday I met with former Minister of Justice and current National Assembly State and Legal Affairs Standing Committee Chair Davit Harutyunyan at the Republican party headquarters. The Republicans of course rule the country, holding the majority of seats in parliament and a firm control of the government, including the presidency. The interview was shorter than I would have liked as he was pressed for time, but he didn’t have very much to say in response to my questions anyway.

In the video he discusses the Republican party platform, combatting election fraud, addressing public discontent with the authorities, and connecting with Armenian citizens.

Watch the video on Hetq Online.

The interview that I conducted with Raffi K. Hovannisian, the first foreign minister of the Republic of Armenia and leader of the Heritage party, is now up on Hetq Online. He is certainly the most spirited speaker of all the politicians I interviewed so far.

In the interview he talks about the Heritage party’s connection with Armenian citizens, its role in combatting electoral fraud, the emergence of a new, dynamic National Assembly and the makings of a democratic Armenia.

Go to Hetq to watch the video.

This evening thousands of people poured into Liberty Square where the Opera House is located to hear an open-air concert performed by world-renown singer Andrea Bocelli. He was backed by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marcello Rota and a “diva” quartet called Div4s. Both the Armenia State Chamber Choir and Hover Chamber Choir were also on stage. The event apparently coincided with Yerevan being passed the baton as the UNESCO World Book Capital for a year (yet another paradox, sorry couldn’t resist), which started April 21. It was a marvelous concert.

In this high-tech video that I shot you can hear Bocelli’s signature song, “Con te partirò,” which was the second to last performance for the evening. Areg had a blast.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to interview a parliamentary candidate representing the Armenian National Congress, Levon Zourabyan. He was Levon Ter-Petrossian’s right-hand man during his presidency and evidently still is.

In this interview for Hetq, Zourabyan talks about the need to break up the Armenian monopolies, impeachment, the expected rise of the opposition in parliament and government, methods of electoral fraud, and the importance of fair elections.

To watch the interview go to the Hetq web site.

My interview with former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian was posted on Hetq Online today. I spoke with him about his membership in the Prosperous Armenia Party and the party’s long-term program, the importance of free and fair National Assembly elections, planned measures to combat electoral fraud and voter apathy.

Go to the Hetq web site to watch the video or to Hetq’s channel on YouTube.

Today Hetq Online posted an interview that I conducted with former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzoumanian. In our conversation he talked about political life after splitting from the Armenian National Congress, the platform of the Free Democrats party and its alliance with Heritage, the importance of free and fair parliamentary elections in Armenia, and mobilizing the Armenian youth.

You can watch the video on the main Hetq web site or on Hetq’s channel on YouTube.

Happy Birthday to our April fools baby, who is the breath and purpose of our lives.

Yesterday afternoon as I was walking down Melik Adamian Street — which runs parallel to Nalbandyan Street — behind the Government Building on Republic Square, I just happened to see some guy remove a small kangaroo — I am assuming a joey — out of his trunk and place it into the cargo space of a black security SUV, the kind with the alert lights on the roof. The animal’s feet were in a plastic burlap-like sack that had been fastened with what appeared to be heavy-duty twine. The kangaroo was alive and naturally seemed frightened.

It never surprises me just how bizarre things are in this country, that such a random event can be witnessed in the middle of the afternoon. I can’t say if the guy was transporting the animal on behalf of a minister or someone from the Republican party (perhaps a Republican minister in all likelihood) since their headquarters is conveniently located across the street. But it doesn’t change how indecent, indeed how immoral what I saw was.

I’m sure someone can make the argument that cruelty towards animals happens everywhere in the world, and it’s not unique to Armenia. But how obvious is it made elsewhere? They knew that someone would see them — it wasn’t like I was pretending not to notice their shenanigans. I made sure I got a good look at the animal and how they were handling it. But they didn’t care, like it was a normal thing to transport a kangaroo in a security vehicle.

Then I started to wonder what they were going to do with it. It can’t be a new pet for someone’s kid because a kangaroo is not something you would have hopping around the house, and you would need a spacious back yard so the animal can get exercise. No, I realized that they — whoever they are — were most likely going to eat him.

I was thinking about that kangaroo all day long, trying to understand what it all meant, why was it necessary for a minister/someone close to a minister or whoever to need a kangaroo. Then I started to think about where the money came from to purchase that animal, most probably on the black market, and how that money had been misappropriated, since people in government have been skimming off the top of foreign assistance and loans for twenty years, the same money that is supposed to go into nation-building initiatives and to aiding citizens. Instead, part of it is likely going towards what is most definitely an illegally acquired kangaroo for someone’s kicks.

Whenever I try to convince myself not to be concerned about or surprised at the random absurdity I witness any longer, for my son’s benefit at least, I find myself being shocked again, left to wonder when Armenia will mature into a normally functioning society. Yesterday’s episode made it quite clear to me that I have a very, very long wait.