CIVIL SOCIETY
Text by Marianna Grigoryan
4/09/08
The April 9 inauguration of Serzh Sarkisian as Armenia’s third president was meant to seem like a party, complete with balloons, a laser show, and a huge cake. But, amid the tight security and heavy police presence, the attempt to create a festive atmosphere couldn’t conceal Armenia’s ongoing political crisis.
In recent weeks, officials worked assiduously to smooth over memories of the recent past. "There are numerous challenges for the new president and new government and solutions for them are as difficult and important as they will be crucial to our country," outgoing President Robert Kocharian said during his April 4 farewell meeting with cabinet ministers. "I am convinced that steps must be taken towards solidifying the foundations of the state."
With his hand on a 7th century copy of the New Testament and the original version of Armenia’s Constitution, the 53-year-old Sarkisian received a blessing from the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II. The new president promptly followed up on Kocharian’s farewell message by pledging to pursue policies that are in the best interests of all Armenians, not just a certain segment of society.
"Part of our people supported other candidates, and now I am turning to them," said Sarkisian, dressed in a black suit and bright red tie. "You had the right to vote not in my favor. However, I don’t have the right not to be your president." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Vowing that his administration over the next five years would build "an Armenia of dreams," Sarkisian also urged inauguration attendees to "learn the lessons of the past."
"What happened should be a lesson for vigilance and sobriety for all of us, must force all of us to work with doubled energy and commitment," he said in reference to the March 1 violent clash between opposition protesters and security forces. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Police kept pedestrians at bay from the area surrounding the Opera House, site of the inauguration and of the opposition’s past election protests. Opposition supporters, wearing black ribbons, though, conducted a protest outside the State Prosecutor’s office to mark the 40th day since the March 1 events. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. During the day, numerous people came to a statue of Armenian statesman Alexander Myasnikian to light candles in homage to the victims.
Sarkisian’s message to MPs, diplomats and other dignitaries gathered for his inauguration acknowledged political divisions, while emphasizing the need for unity. "We must not become divided, we must not create partitions between one part of our people and the other, we must not remain indifferent to each other’s concerns and pain," he said in an unusually emotional speech. "Even if there is a wall of incomprehension between us, I call [on you], let’s destroy that wall."
In a separate development, Armenian news agencies reported late on April 9 that Sarkisian has appointed Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sarkisian (no relation) as prime minister. The designee will have 20 days to form a new government.
Opposition representatives reacted with skepticism to Sarkisian’s appeal for unity. "These are empty words," scoffed Arman Musinian, a spokesperson for Levon Ter-Petrosian, who, according to the official vote count, finished a distant second to Sarkisian in the February 19 presidential race. Ter-Petrosian’s supporters have refused to recognize the results. "Just like Serzh Sarkisian did not show his readiness to destroy walls in his previous activities, this time too, when he is equally responsible for the bloodshed of March 1 and the consequences that followed, there can be no talk about destroying any wall."
Pro-opposition political analyst Aghasi Yenokian has a long list of actions Sarkisian must take to make good on his pledge: release individuals jailed after March 1 for their political activities; allow an independent investigation into the crackdown; give the opposition a voice on television; and reconsider amendments to the law on public meetings, which have been severely restricted under recent changes passed by parliament.
"The pressure that has begun cannot destroy any wall, or be a beginning for negotiations," Yenokian charged. "There are two ways to go in all this: lies and eyewash, and the formation of a pseudo-opposition, which will deepen the crisis still further. … [T]he second way is to genuinely take serious steps for stabilization."
Yenokian’s initial impression is that the government is heading in the wrong direction, striving to make peace with a "pseudo-opposition." Yenokian pointed to Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) Party leader Artur Baghdasarian as representative of the "pseudo-opposition." An outspoken critic of the government during the election campaign, Baghdasarian switched sides shortly after the disputed election, accepting an offer to become head of the National Security Council. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which held several ministerial posts under Kocharian, likewise backed down from its campaign criticism to join the Republican Party of Armenia and the Prosperous Armenia Party in a coalition government after Sarkisian’s election.
"Despite the fact that this election campaign was pungent and even was not without insults, I want to thank my opponents for the struggle, addressing my special thanks to those who admitted their defeat with dignity, those who shook the hand reached out to them for cooperation, accepting the offer of building a consolidated Republic of Armenia together," Sarkisian said in acknowledgement of those political figures who had dropped their criticism to back his prospective administration.
An entertainment extravaganza planned for the evening of April 9 on Republic Square, in the heart of Yerevan, was intended to reinforce Sarkisian’s unification message. Opposition supporters reportedly planned to stage a protest at the same site later tonight. Pro-opposition news website A1+, however, reported that police had badly beaten a group of young people who began shouting "Levon! Levon!" during the Republic Square celebration. The information could not be independently confirmed.
For now, the international community has indicated that it will give Sarkisian the benefit of the doubt. In an interview with RFE/RL, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza said that "dramatic steps" are needed "to restore a sense of confidence that the country is moving in the right direction." [For additional information click here].
Javier Solana, secretary-general of the Council of the European Union, said in a congratulatory message sent to Sarkisian on April 9 that "the EU stands ready to offer its support to the Republic of Armenia in addressing these challenges."
"We continue to see an independent investigation into the events following the elections, the release of those arrested in connection with political activities, a broad dialogue with the opposition as well as the restoration of full freedom of assembly as important elements for restoring trust," Solana said in his message. That assertion was echoed on the eve of Sarkisian’s inauguration in a report released by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.
"If the new presidency takes the right course, the EU and the United States can help foster reconciliation and deeper institutional reform," International Crisis Group Europe Program Director Sabine Freizer said in the report. "But they also need to call on Armenia to remain a democratic state, with basic human rights protected and a functional opposition that does not live in fear."
In a report published on April 8, Human Rights Watch added to that evaluation. "[T]his is an opportunity to restore Armenia’s tarnished image, and [Sarkisian] should not miss it," wrote Europe and Central Asia Executive Director Holly Cartner.
Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the online ArmeniaNow weekly in Yerevan.
