2002 LIKELY TO BE ACTIVE POLITICAL YEAR

[MosJan]

2002 LIKELY TO BE ACTIVE POLITICAL YEAR

Armenian politicians predict that the new year will be politically active, explaining their predictions by the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, both slated for 2003. The leader of the National DemocraticUnion (NDU) Vazgen Manukian said the new year will be rather active, "full of both natural and artificial activities." "It is difficult to foresee but new teams will be formed and new situations will erupt in Armenia, he said.

 

 

According to the head of the Miasnutyun parliamentary faction Galust Sahakian, being a pre-electoral year, 2002 will bring forth some tension. "I think that the political forces of Armenia will be able to be more decisive by co-operating with each other", he said. Sahakian thinks that there will be some tension in the political sphere, but nevertheless the programs which refer to the reduction of poverty and the economic development of the country, will continue. The head of the Armenian Communist Party parliamentary faction Frunze Kharatian said there is much time left till the elections and 2002 should not be considered a pre-electoral year. He thinks that the issue of the Constitution will be in the center of attention this year. In his words, the political struggle in 2002will be connected with two, diametrically opposite, draft constitution.

 

 

A senior member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Armen Rustamian thinks that 2002 will pass in the atmosphere, peculiar to a election year. The upcoming local self-governmental bodies elections, the Constitution referendum, presidential and parliamentary elections will have their impact on all the developments. "There are likely to be flames of passions, activation in the political field, extreme approaches, non realistic estimations, but, anyhow, each election is an opportunity to take a new step towards democracy. We should be able to use this opportunity in order to improve the political system, to create enough potential for the development of economy", he said.

 

 

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