PUBLIC DEBATE MARKS FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001648 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, EUR/ACE, EUR/PGI, DRL, DEPT PLEASE PASS USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV AM SUBJECT: PUBLIC DEBATE MARKS FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIA'S GOVERNING COALITION ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Both supporters and critics of the ruling parliamentary coalition in Armenia's National Assembly took advantage of its one-year anniversary to stage public debates on its effectiveness and prospects for its future. Coalition leaders from the Republican Party of Armenia, "Orinats-Yerkir" (Country of Law) Party, and the Armenian Revolutionary Forces ("ARF" or "Dashnaksutyun") made relatively tame statements regarding the anniversary while National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan lunged at the opportunity to showcase his contributions, the state of NA relations with the Executive and legislative "successes" of the past year. Critics were quick to respond to Baghdasaryan's claims in both the press and during public meetings with their evaluation of NA effectivenes, claiming that the National Assembly's activities were at best only moderately successful. With the opposition still boycotting and rumors of continued delays in parliament, some analysts claimed that the coalition's most significant feat over the past year had been that of survival. End Summary. -------------- -------------- BAGHDASARYAN POINTS TO BIG NUMBERS AS BIG SUCCESS -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Taking advantage of the one-year anniversary of the ruling coalition, Speaker Artur Baghdassaryan again leapt into the public eye congratulating himself and governing coalition MPs for what he characterized as a record year of success in the NA. Baghdasaryan stated that the National Assembly had been more productive than ever in terms of initiatives and legislation passed during his first year as Speaker and under the leadership of the governing coalition. He pointed to discussion of Constitutional Reform, the Electoral Code, and reforms involving the judiciary system and self-governing bodies as headlines from this year's deliberations. According to Baghdasaryan, the National Assembly circulated 223 bills, adopted 178 laws and 418 decisions and ratified 78 treaties during the 2003-2004 session. (Note: Roughly half of the bills cited were government initiatives. End Note.) Baghdasaryan took advantage of anniversary events to note the prolonged absence of the opposition MPs during their current boycott. He portrayed them as petty, partisan, and uninvolved during the Spring session. He stopped short of blaming them for recent delays in the National Assembly and responded defensively to suggestions that their absence was due in part to his failure to coax them back into Parliament. -------------- -------------- CRITICS: COALITION "PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL AT BEST" -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Critics of the coalition used the one-year anniversary of the governing coalition to argue that the coalition did not deliver on lofty promises made just one year ago. Pointing to the Memorandum of Political Coalition signed by the leaders of the coalition in June 2003, journalists said the coalition stopped short of its stated goals to move ahead on constitutional reforms, enact legislation on the electoral system, refine economic policy implementation and legislate strong anti-corruption measures. Critics pointed to certain "failures" as a discouraging sign for the prospects of this and any future governing coalition in Armenia. They claimed that the coalition responded only to requests by the President and had turned the NA into a "ritualistic body" lacking legislative creativity or depth. They portrayed the NA's discussion of constitutional reform as merely a response to the personal wish of the President. Critics were also negative about the NA's work on electoral reform, saying any outcome would most likely be limited to stipulating the party rights of parliamentary majorities. Despite these criticisms and claims that the NA was far too subject to the President, journalists and analysts admitted that the coalition did manage to stabilize relations with GOAM ministries. -------------- COMMENT: QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The coalition's numbers at first seem impressive when compared to previous sittings of the National Assembly. Baghdasaryan's superficial inventory of legislative achievements and skeptical private comments by MPs, however, leave one to wonder how much Baghdasaryan or other coalition members truly believe the anniversary fanfare. The fact that the coalition has lasted a year admittedly came as a surprise to many in Yerevan. Critics are correct in asserting that at the very least the coalition managed to not only survive but to thrive, with the most interesting political wrangling in Armenia taking place within the coalition rather than between the coalition and opposition. ORDWAY