PARTY PRIMER: TOP ARMENIAN POLITICAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 YEREVAN 001678

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV AM
SUBJECT: PARTY PRIMER: TOP ARMENIAN POLITICAL
PARTIES


1. (U) Sensitive But Unclassified. Please treat
accordingly.

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SUMMARY
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2. (SBU) With 64 registered political parties (as of
July 30, 2004) voters in Armenia suffer no lack of
choice. The following parties are represented
within the National Assembly (NA): the Republican
Party of Armenia, Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) Dashnaktsutyun, Country of Law (Orinats
Yerkir),People's Party of Armenia, National Accord
Party, Republic Party and United Labor Party.
(Note: The governing coalition consists of the
Republican Party of Armenia, Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun, and Country of Law
(Orinats Yerkir). There are an additional 17 MPs in
the Peoples' Deputy group that generally support the
government, and 15 MPs who are not aligned with any
faction or group. The remainder oppose the current
government. End Note.) Other significant parties
include: the National Democratic Union,
Constitutional Rights Union, Social Democratic
Hnchakian Party, Armenian National Movement, Liberal
Democratic Ramkavar Party, Self Determination Union,
Communist Party, and the Christian Democratic Party.
There are several dozen other minor registered
parties. End Summary.

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REPUBLICAN PARTY
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3. (SBU) Founded in 1988, the Republican Party (RP)
was formally registered May 14, 1991. With 40 out
of 131 seats in the National Assembly, the RP has
significant clout: its key figures include party
chairman Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, and
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tigran
Torosian. Former Soviet-era dissident Ashot
Navasardyan founded the RP in 1988. Military units
formed under the Party's banner fought in the N-K
war. Later the units were merged with the regular
army. At the end of 1994, RP switched from being in
opposition to the government to joining the Republic
bloc led by the then-ruling ANM party. In 1998 RP,
led by then Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, merged
with the Yerkrapah Union of the Karabakh war
volunteers and, a few months later, on the eve of
the 1999 parliamentary elections formed the Unity
bloc with the newly-established People's Party of
Armenia. A pro-government party, RP formed an
electoral alliance with the ARF Dashanaktsutyun and
Orinats Yerkir on the eve of the 2003 parliamentary
race. The electoral alliance earned a landslide
victory with an overwhelming majority in the
National Assembly. RP is currently considered a
ruling party. It supports economic and democratic
reforms and favors a strong executive branch.

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Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun
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4. (SBU) Founded in 1890 in Tbilisi by Armenian
nationalist and socialist revolutionaries who
operated in the Caucasus and Western Armenia, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun
(ARF) was first registered in Armenia July 2, 1991.
The party was subsequently banned December 28, 1994,
but the GOAM lifted the ban in 1998 (citing changed
political circumstances). Key figures include Hrant
Margarian, Vahan Hovhannisian, Armen Rustamian,
Levon Mkrtchian, and Aghvan Vardanian. The ARF
operates two newspapers, "Yerkir" (Country) and
"Hayots Ashkharh" (The Armenian World). ARF
controls 11 out of 131 seats in the National
Assembly.


5. (SBU) The ARF-Dashnaktsutyun has been the most
popular "traditional" party and the most active
political force in the Armenian Diaspora. The
Dashnak Party ruled the first Armenian Republic of

1918. In 1920, it ceded power to the Communist
Party. Many Dashnaks fled Armenia, while others
were repressed. The Dashnak Party was banned in
Armenia during the Soviet period. The growth of
glasnost during the last few years of the USSR
allowed the Dashnaks to reestablish themselves in
Armenia in 1988. Nevertheless, the main ruling body
of the party, the Bureau, remains in Athens, Greece.
From the outset, the Dashnak Party was the major
opposition force to the Armenian government in
power. On December 28, 1994, President Ter-
Petrossian banned the party by decree. He accused
the party of criminal activities, drug trafficking,
assassinations, and fostering of terrorist groups
(the so-called "Dro" clandestine organization.) The
President's decree was followed by a decision of the
Supreme Court to suspend the Party in January 1995
since it did not comply with the country's laws
banning party membership of non-Armenian citizens.
Several ARF leaders spent several years in jail.
After LTP's resignation in February 1998, then
acting president Kocharian released ARF leaders due
to the "changed political situation." ARF is
currently a pro-government party.


6. (SBU) The Dashnak Party is a socialist-
nationalist party. It sees its ultimate goal as
pursuing "The Armenian Cause," worldwide recognition
of the Armenian genocide, and integration of Western
and Eastern Armenia into one powerful state.
Traditionally, party activities have not been
transparent. In the course of its history, the
party carried out a number of "revenge acts" against
Turkish diplomats and other citizens. The ARF
supports the independent status of Karabakh and any
decision to promote its independence. Members of
the ARF fought actively in the Karabakh conflict and
the party had its own military units. Later, when
Karabakh and Armenia formed regular armies, some of
the Dashnak units merged with the armies, others
were disarmed. The ARF remains a major political
force in the Armenian Diaspora, and retains a wide
support base in Armenia, especially among the youth.

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COUNTRY OF LAW (ORINATS YERKIR)
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7. (SBU) The Orinats Yerkir Party (Country of Law)
(OY) was founded in 1998 under the direction of its
Chairman, Speaker of the National Assembly Arthur
Baghdasarian, and holds 20 out of 131 seats in the
NA. Established on the eve of the 1999
parliamentary elections, OY appeared to have the
support of then-Minister of National Security and
Interior Serzh Sargsian. A new player on the
Armenian political arena, OY nevertheless overcame
the 5 percent threshold at the 1999 parliamentary
elections and ended up having 5 seats in the
parliament. Four years later OY impressively
expanded its parliamentary group to 20 members with
its chairman Baghdasarian elected as a NA speaker.


8. (SBU) A right-centrist party, OY emphasizes
legislative activities and is responsible for more
than 30 percent of all drafts submitted to the
parliament in 1999-2003. OY is one of the few
parties with a well-organized structure and strong
regional branches. During the 2003 parliamentary
electoral campaign OY made "generous" -- and quite
unrealistic -- promises to increase salaries and
return Soviet-era savings -- a move that added to
OY's reputation as a "bunch of populists."
Currently, OY is trying to push some of these highly
controversial drafts through the parliament.

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PEOPLE'S PARTY OF ARMENIA
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9. (SBU) The People's Party of Armenia (PPA) was
founded in 1999. It holds 5 of the 14 seats
controlled by the Justice Bloc in the National
Assembly (out of 131 total). Founded by the former
First Secretary of the Armenian Communist Party,
charismatic Karen Demirchian, the PPA unites the so-
called "red directors" and former Soviet
nomenclatura, as well as people opposed to Robert
Kocharian. Demirchian's son, Stepan, inherited the
party after the October 27 assassinations; thus far,
however, he has not demonstrated his father's
charisma, maturity or experience. Ideologically,
the PPA is a right-centrist party; most of its
energy, however, has been spent on an anti-Kocharian
campaign. (Note: The leadership of the PPA remains
strongly convinced that Kocharian was involved in
the October 27, 1999 assassinations. End Note.) In
2001 there was a mass exodus from the PPA rumored to
be initiated by the President's office. As a
result, the PPA lost all of its key positions in the
National Assembly.

10. (SBU) According to official Central Election
Commission results of the second round of the 2003
presidential elections, Demirchian received 32.48
percent of votes vice 67.52 percent received by
President Kocharian. The opposition parties claim
election fraud and falsification; the election
results were disputed at the Constitutional Court.
While the Constitutional Court's final ruling upheld
Kocharian's victory, the court suggested holding a
vote of confidence for Kocharian in order to confirm
his legitimacy. Although later the Court withdrew
its suggestion, claiming there was no more need for
such a vote, this controversial statement triggered
a round of debates in the parliament that resulted
in the opposition boycotting NA sessions.

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NATIONAL ACCORD
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11. (SBU) The National Accord party (also known as
"National Unity" party) was founded in 1997.
National Accord is a right-centrist party built
around its leader, Artashes Geghamian. Currently the
party has 8 of 131 seats in the parliament. A
former Soviet apparatchik, Geghamian became popular
through his anti-Kocharian populist speeches. After
the parliamentary killings in 1999 Geghamian
supported President Kocharian and allegedly hoped
(in vain) to be appointed Prime Minister. Since
then Geghamian has been one of the harshest critics
of the current regime.


12. (SBU) Following complicated negotiations, the
party refused to become a part of the Justice bloc
during the 2003 parliamentary elections. In the
beginning of 2004, however, the National Accord
faction, along with the Justice Block deputies,
decided to boycott the National Assembly sessions.
Some sources report that the party is financed from
Russia, others note that the party is financed by
former N-K "Defense Minister" Samvel Babayan
(especially for the 1999 parliamentary elections).

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REPUBLIC PARTY
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13. (SBU) Founded in 2001, the Republic Party (RP)
has 2 of the 14 Justice Bloc seats in the National
Assembly, and is led by co-chairmen Aram Sargsyan
and Albert Bazeyan. The RP was originally
established as an opposition party by a group of
former government officials that include ex-Prime
Minister Sargsyan, ex-Mayor of Yerevan Bazeyan, ex-
Defense Minister Harutyunian, ex-Minister of Tax
Minister Ayvazian, ex-deputy Health Minister
Zeynalyan, etc. They have opposed the current
authorities starting after the October 27, 1999
parliamentary assassinations; their current
relations with the government are deeply
antagonistic. The RP never dropped its allegations
claiming that President Kocharian was directly
involved in the October 27 events and has strongly
criticized the authorities for a "biased and
incomplete" investigation of the October 27 criminal
case. Most of the RP founding members split from
the Republican Party citing "opportunism" and
collaboration with Kocharian in 1999-2000; they
established the RP with essentially one goal in
mind, to oust Kocharian.


14. (SBU) The RP strongly supported Stepan
Demirchian during the 2003 presidential elections
and formed an election Justice bloc with the
People's Party of Armenia on the eve of the 2003
National Assembly (NA) elections. The Justice
Bloc's election performance was disappointing for
its members: the bloc garnered only 14 seats. In
parliament, the RP actively pushed for a referendum
on a presidential vote of confidence; the pro-
government majority, however, torpedoed the
referendum vote and since then the RP, together with
other opposition members, has been boycotting the NA
sessions and claimed they would move the anti-
Kocharian campaign from parliament to the streets.
In addition, the RP is currently considering
replacing Demirchian with Aram Sargsyan due to what
the party leadership perceives as Demirchian's lack
of resourcefulness.

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UNITED LABOR PARTY
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15. (SBU) The United Labor Party (ULP) was founded
in 2002, and is led by its chairman Gurgen Arsenian
and Levon Poghosian. The ULP holds 6 out of 131
seats in the National Assembly. The ULP was founded
on the eve of the 2003 parliamentary elections by a
group of wealthy businessmen and entrepreneurs. A
new player on the Armenian political arena, the ULP
nevertheless overcame (following substantial
financial outlays) the 5 percent parliamentary
threshold and received 6 seats in the National
Assembly. The ULP is a pro-government party that
strongly supports free market reforms and
establishment of rule of law society. In the
National Assembly, the ULP pushes for comprehensive
economic legislation aimed at encouraging Armenian
exports, small and medium-sized businesses, and
investments. The ULP shows less interest, however,
in "pure politics;" the only strong and critical
statement that the ULP has made thus far was during
politically charged debates on the controversial
(and eventually failed) draft amendments to the law
on military service in the parliament. (Note: ULP
Chairman Arsenian is a father of two sons. End
Note.)

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NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC UNION
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16. (SBU) The National Democratic Union (NDU) was
founded in 1991 and registered March 19, 1992.
Under the leadership of its chairman Vazgen
Manukian, the NDU has 1 seat out of 131 in the
National Assembly. The NDU is one of the most
active, albeit small, opposition parties. Its
leader, Vazgen Manukian, was one of the founders of
the Karabakh Movement, one time former prime
minister, former defense minister and former close
ally of former president Ter-Petrossian. The NDU is
primarily a party of individuals; with neither a
developed party structure nor rank-and-file
organization, the NDU does not have a cohesive
platform. The NDU claims that the ruling elite has
betrayed the ideas of democracy and a market
economy, and is leading the country toward
dictatorship. In mid-90s the NDU advocated
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh (N-K) conflict by
granting independent status to Karabakh in exchange
for returning the occupied territories to
Azerbaijan. During the past two years, however,
Manukian has attached more importance to regional
development in the South Caucasus, placing the N-K
conflict settlement and due process of reforms in
Armenia into a regional context. Most recently
Manukian, as a Yerevan State University professor,
was actively engaged in debates and meetings with
students over the controversial bill on military
service.


17. (SBU) In the mid-90s Manukian was widely seen as
the only individual in Armenia who could challenge
then-president Ter-Petrossian in the 1996
presidential elections. Many election observers
believe that Manukian did in fact win the 1996
election. Since then, however, the NDU has
significantly weakened and gone through several
splits. The most recent division within the NDU in
2001 appeared to be triggered mostly by the personal
ambitions of some of its leaders; the core NDU
group, however, survived.

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CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS UNION
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18. (SBU) The Constitutional Rights Union (CRU) was
registered August 19, 1991 under the leadership of
Hrant Kachatryan and currently has one member in the
National Assembly. An extremely small opposition
party, the CRU also allegedly received significant
support during the 1999 parliamentary elections from
N-K "Defense Minister" Samvel Babayan. The party
opposes President Kocharian.

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SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC HNCHAK PARTY
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19. (SBU) Social-Democratic Hnchak Party (SDHP) was
founded in 1887 in Geneva and first registered in
Armenia in 1991. There is currently no chairman
(following the controversial resignation of George
Hakobian in late 2003). The SDHP suspended
publication of its weekly newspaper, the "Hnchak
Hayastani" (Clarion of Armenia),several years ago
due to financial problems. The party has no seats
in the National Assembly. During the Soviet period,
the party continued to function within the confines
of the system. Traditionally, SDHP has been
extremely hostile to Dashnaks in the Diaspora. SDHP
is loosely organized without clearly specified
program goals or strict hierarchy. The Armenian
branch of the SDHP maintains stronger ties with a
diasporan party branch in Syria than with two other
traditional parties, ARF Dashnaktsutyun and
Ramkavars. Since its return to Armenia in 1990,
SDHP has been loyal and eager to cooperate with the
authorities. In mid-90, the Hnchak party, though
ideologically socialist, allied itself with the then-
ruling ANM party, and strongly supported Ter-
Petrossian's administration; later on they supported
Robert Kocharian equally strongly. During the 2003
presidential election campaign, however, SDHP then-
chairman George Hakobian joined the opposition
alliance of 16 parties to support Kocharian's major
rival Stepan Demirchian -- a move that caused some
controversy within the party.

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ARMENIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT
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20. (SBU) The Armenian National Movement (ANM) was
founded in 1989 by former President Ter-Petrosyan
along with other members of the "Karabakh
Committee." The long-time "party of power," it has
seen its influence dwindle since Kocharian has been
president. The ANM favors a market economy, good
relations with Turkey and a negotiated settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Initially anti-
Russian, the ANM more recently acknowledged the need
for a "special relationship" with Russia.

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DEMOCRATIC-LIBERAL PARTY (RAMKAVAR)
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21. (SBU) The Democratic-Liberal Party (Ramkavar)
was founded in 1921 in Istanbul following the
unification of the Ramkavar (Democratic) and
Azatagan (Liberal) parties; the party was registered
in Armenia June 10, 1991. Led by party chairman and
National Assembly member Harutyun Karapetian, other
key figures include the editor of the party's daily
newspaper "Azg" (Nation) Hakob Avedikyan and the
Tekeyan Society chairman Ruben Mirzakhanian. In
addition to "Azg" the party also has a weekly "Djayn
Ramkavarats" (Voice of the Democrats) in Gyumri.


22. (SBU) Ramkavar Party is one of the old, so-
called traditional Armenian parties. During the
Soviet period, it was active in the Armenian
Diaspora throughout the world and played, along with
ARF Dashaktsutyun, a major role in preserving the
Armenian Diaspora from assimilation. Nevertheless,
the Ramkavar and Dashnak parties have been
traditionally hostile toward each other. Following
the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Ramkavars
restored their operations in Armenia. The Ramkavar
Party of Armenia is technically distinct from its
organization in the Armenian Diaspora; in practice,
however, it coordinates closely with its
headquarters abroad. The Ramkavars stand for
democracy, liberalism, and a free market economy and
champion working through the system as opposed to
revolutionary activities. Ramkavars pursue centrist
policies and do not ally themselves with other
parties, since, as Ramkavars assert, they are all
tainted with a revolutionary zeal for usurping
power. The party supports Armenia's integration
into the world economy. It perceives the middle and
wealthy classes as the core of its party.

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SELF-DETERMINATION UNION
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23. (SBU) The Self-Determination Union is a marginal
opposition party. Founded in 1987 and registered
July 29, 1991, the party opposes increased Russian
and other foreign influence. Its leader, U.S. legal
permanent resident Paruyr Hayrikian, was born in
Yerevan in 1949. Hayrikian joined the underground
United National Party in the late 1960s and was
arrested in 1969. Hayrikian spent 17 years in the
KGB prison on charges of political dissent. In
1988, he was stripped of his Soviet citizenship and
exiled to Ethiopia before moving to the U.S.
Hayrikian returned to Armenia in 1990, was elected
to the Parliament and served two terms (1990 and
1995). Hayrikian ran for the 1991 presidential
election as Chairman of the Self-Determination
Union, a right-center nationalistic party, and
received 8 percent of the vote (Ter-Petrossian
received 83 percent). During the 1996 presidential
election campaign Hayrikian joined the opposition
alliance and supported their joint candidate Vazgen
Manukian. During the 1998 Presidential election,
Hayrikian received 5.4 percent of the vote and chose
to support Robert Kocharian for the run-off. After
Kocharian's election as President, Hayrikian was
appointed Adviser to the President, Chairman of the
Presidential Human Rights Committee, and Chairman of
Constitutional Amendments Committee. He resigned a
few years later. Hayrikian and his party have moved
away from their earlier pro-government stance and
now oppose the President.

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COMMUNIST PARTY
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24. (SBU) The Communist Party (CP) was formally
registered July 29, 1991, as the successor of the
Armenian branch of the Communist Party of the USSR.
With fewer than 50,000 members country-wide (most of
them quite elderly),the Communist Party is no
longer especially influential. The party favors
close political and economic ties with Russia, at
one point going so far as to call for a
"confederation," along with the Russia-Belarus
union, to include Nagorno-Karabakh. In the past the
Communist Party has criticized post-independence
GOAM economic reforms, calling today's Armenia "a
nation of shopkeepers."

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CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
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25. (SBU) Former Prime Minister and former Speaker
of the National Assembly Khosrov Harutyunian leads
the Christian Democratic Party (CDP),founded in

1991. The party is a marginal left-centrist party
that professes to a mix of liberal political
philosophy and Christian values. It currently has
no seats in parliament. One of the few Armenian
parties with a woman in a leadership position, the
CDP was chaired by Ida Martirosian until three years
ago; she remains active in party affairs.

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NEW TIMES PARTY
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26. (SBU) The New Times Party was founded in
February 2004 by Aram Karepetyan. Although the New
Times Party is only recently established, it is an
important player among small opposition parties in
Armenia. A formal member of the opposition Justice
bloc, the party nonetheless maintains its own agenda
distinct from its membership in the coalition.
During the opposition rallies that followed the 2003
presidential elections, the party's chairman Aram
Karapetyan commanded some of the largest audiences.
The party's economic theories and a strong pro-
Russian bias are unique among current political
groups.
ORDWAY