COALITION NOMINATES KOCHARIAN ADVISOR FOR OMBUDSMAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000104 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR DRL AND EUR/CACEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM AM SUBJECT: COALITION NOMINATES KOCHARIAN ADVISOR FOR OMBUDSMAN SLOT REF: YEREVAN 33 Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Armenia's governing coalition announced January 20 that it would nominate long-time Kocharian confidant Armen Harutyunyan as the country's next Ombudsman. Local NGOs were divided in their reactions to the announcement, but most told us that the nomination would have significant political backing and would likely go through without major obstacles. Harutyunyan, in his capacity as Rector of the Academy of Public Administration, was intimately involved in the constitutional referendum process that precipitated the naming of a new Ombudsman and the dismissal of Larisa Alaverdyan (reftel) earlier this month. Nominated by the three parties in the governing coalition, Harutyunyan will almost certainly have the votes needed for confirmation once the National Assembly reconvenes in February, but the opposition could make the process less than smooth. End Summary. -------------- GOVERNING COALITION NOMINATES HARUTYUNYAN -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Armenia's governing coalition announced January 20 that it would nominate long-time Kocharian confidant Armen Harutyunyan as the country's next Ombudsman. Republican Party leader Galust Sahakyan made the announcement in the wake of persistent rumors that the coalition was divided on major policy issues and was headed for a split. High- ranking Orinats-Yerkir MP, Mher Shahgeldian told us January 24 that the three coalition parties were being careful to present a united front for Harutyunyan's candidacy. He predicted that "Pretty much everyone in parliament realizes it is going to be Harutyunyan. We've got the support we need -- and the coalition, at least in public, is behind him 100 percent. The opposition might not make it simple, but it's going to be an easy vote." Opposition parties remain divided on who they should present as their candidate, and opposition Justice Bloc representatives have not confirmed press speculation that they might support former Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan's candidacy. -------------- - HUMAN RIGHTS COMMUNITY DIVIDED ON ANNOUNCEMENT -------------- - ¶3. (SBU) Harutyunyan's nomination provoked a range of reactions from the local NGO community. Avetik Ishkhanyan from the Helsinki Committee said publicly that Armen Harutyunyan had President Kocharian's "blessing and will obediently follow his orders." Hrayr Tovmasyan, from the Democracy NGO, told us he thought that Harutyunyan was one of the best constitutional experts in the country but lacks the NGO background essential for this post. Larisa Minasyan, local director of the Open Society Institute, said she thought Harutyunyan was the worst possible candidate, as she considers him a bureaucrat who is far too "distant from human rights issues." Arsen Manukyan, a lawyer on the previous Ombudsman's staff (and generally loyal to Larisa Alaverdyan),welcomed Harutyuntyan's nomination and said he had the necessary legal background, and hinted that at least some members of the staff were upbeat about the prospect of Harutyunyan taking the position. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Harutyunyan's deep involvement in the recent constitutional reform process means that he is well- connected within the governing coalition structure and with President Kocharian's closest advisors. With a nomination from the three parties in the governing coalition, Harutyunyan will have the votes needed for an easy confirmation once the National Assembly reconvenes in February. The opposition may seize on this nomination, however, as a chance to criticize Kocharian's record on human rights and governance issues. While the math may show he has the votes in parliament, the jury of public opinion is still out on how effective Harutyunyan would be as Armenia's second Ombudsman. End Comment. -------------- BIO NOTES - ARMEN HARUTYUNYAN -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Armen Harutyunyan was born on 8 March, 1964, and received a law degree from the Legal Department of the Yerevan State University in 1986. From 1986 to 1989 he pursued doctoral studies at the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences in Russia, receiving his J.D. from the Academy of Public Administration of Russia in 1997. Since 2002 he has been the Rector of the Armenian Academy of Public Administration. He is a member of the Judicial Council of Armenia, and since 2001 he has been the President's representative on Constitutional Reforms. From 1997 on he has also been a Member of the President's Commission on Constitutional Reforms as well as legal adviser of the Constitutional Court of Armenia. Earlier in his career, he held various positions lecturing at the Yerevan State University. He is the President of the Association of European Law of Armenia and a Board Member of the Armenian Union of Lawyers and Political Scientists. He is fluent in Armenian, Russian and English, and has good knowledge of French. Harutyunyan is married, with two children. EVANS