07.05.2007 - Source: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Basic data on "United Labour Party" ("Political parties of the republic of Armenia participating in the national assembly elections 2007; Voters Guidebook") [ID 19812]

"1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Legal address: 29 Gyulbekyan, ap. 18-19, Yerevan

Address of the head office: 33 Gyulbekyan, Yerevan

Telephone, fax: (+37410) 26-58-28, 22-02-66, 22-67-03

E-mail: info@ulp.am

Website: www.ulp.am

Foundation date: 21.09.2002

Charter and Program approval date: 05.11.2002

State registration: 15.11.2002

State re-registration: 28.11.2003

Number of party members at the time of completing questionnaire: 17 000 members

2. GOVERNING BODIES AND THE LEADER OF THE PARTY

Congress

Political Board: 25 members

Party President: Gurgen Arsenyan

3. IDEOLOGICAL PLATFORM, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PARTY:
Charter objectives and goals of the Party are the following:

Assistance in deepening liberty and democracy in the Republic of Armenia, sustainability of legal state and civil society, and realization of national goals;

Assistance in increasing ideological and political level of population and Party members;

Assistance to population in participating in political life;

For the purposes of realization of its objectives, through all legal means influencing the formation of state policy on NA and Government;

Achievement of its representation in state and local bodies through proposing candidates from the Party;

Assistance in free manifestation of voters’ political will.
The purpose of the Party is to protect RA Constitutional order, citizens’ rights and freedoms; assist the formation of legal democratic and social state as well as civil society; disseminate its ideology and programs; achieve authority through legal means and influence the formation of authorities’ policy."

Document(s): Open document

19.04.2003 - Source:

Armenialiberty (RFE/RL): Arshak Sadoyan, a prominent opposition leader, was denied official registration as a candidate in next month’s parliamentary elections ("19.04.2003 - Armenialiberty (RFE/RL): Prominent Opposition Deputy Denied Election Registration") [ID 2899]

Document(s): 19.04.2003 - Armenialiberty (RFE/RL): Prominent Opposition Deputy Denied Election Registration

09.04.2003 - Source:

Armenialiberty (RFE/RL): Armenian police clashed with opposition supporters as President Robert Kocharian was sworn in for a second five-year term in office ("09.04.2003 - Armenialiberty (RFE/RL): Kocharian Sworn In For Second Term Amid Tight Security, Opposition Protests") [ID 2900]

Document(s): 09.04.2003 - Armenialiberty (RFE/RL): Kocharian Sworn In For Second Term Amid Tight Security, Opposition Protests

30.12.2002 - Source: EurasiaNet

Overview on opposition parties ("Armenia’s opposition: plurality and conflict") [#10179],  [ID 2901]

"In addition to the February 19 presidential vote, Armenia is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on May 25. The president and his parliamentary coalition partners will face opposition from a number of parties. The Armenian National Movement (ANM) and smaller allied parties are currently a relatively weak force in Armenian politics, but rumors of former President Ter-Petrosian’s run for office (now discounted) caused a temporary surge of interest.

The People’s Party of Armenia (PPA) was also a significant force at one time, but has had difficulty recovering from the death of its leader and founder Karen Demirchian, the former parliament speaker, in the 1999 parliamentary shootings. His son, Stepan, who replaced him as party leader, is far less popular. Hanrapetutiun ("Republic"), another opposition party, consists primarily of Karabakh war volunteers (known as Yerkrapahs) who left the governing Republican Party to protest its handling of the inquiry into the parliamentary assassinations.

National Accord (NA) is a populist, leftist party led by Artashes Geghamian, the former Communist mayor of Yerevan. Finally there are the Communists, whose support has declined in recent years as their leader, Vladimir Darbinian, tries to shore up an aging constituency. Numerous smaller parties populate the opposition landscape as well.

None of these groups enjoys the electoral support or resources necessary to mount an effective independent campaign against Kocharian, the Republican Party and its parliamentary allies. This is especially true after the Republicans’ strong showing in the local elections of October 2002, which, in Armenia’s political equation, has raised their relative value in comparison to others in the ruling coalition. If they triumph again in the parliamentary elections set for May 2003, the Republicans will likely seek to enhance their influence over Kocharian and try to expand their role in governing.

The rise of the Republican Party may represent the opposition’s greatest hope for success. The perpetual competition between the diverse members of Kocharian’s coalition could provide an opening, but only if the opposition proves more unified than its rivals are.

In a tacit acknowledgement of their individual weaknesses, 16 opposition parties formed an alliance known as the People’s Patriotic Union (PPU) in September 2002. However, in the run-up to the elections, it appeared that the survival of the PPU was already in doubt. Three of the constituent parties, National Accord, the Communists and Socialist Armenia, declared on November 21 their intention to field a candidate separate from the one chosen by the rest of the bloc.

While the parties’ platforms initially seemed a good match – all three parties are left wing and pro-Russian – even this smaller union appeared to be in jeopardy. In late November, NA named its chairman Geghamian as a contender for the presidency, followed by the Communists’ declaring Darbinian their candidate. These and other late additions brought the number of presidential hopefuls submitting applications by the December 6 deadline up to 15. By fielding so many candidates, the opposition may hope to prevent Kocharian from receiving an outright majority. In such a scenario, the most successful candidate would face the president in a runoff election, presumably with the support of other opposition forces.

As the race heats up and the playing field gets more crowded, the opposition can be expected to highlight the incumbent administration’s failure to stem corruption and improve living standards. Kocharian, meanwhile, is expected to claim credit for the country’s steady economic growth. More importantly, Kocharian will have the support of the governmental and security apparatus and most of the media. Control of the press is crucial, as Armenian state-owned media outlets are still much stronger than private, and even the majority of the latter are run by pro-presidential forces.

Another intriguing factor in the campaign is the bid of Raffi Hovhannisian, the popular American-born Armenian who served as the country’s first foreign minister after independence. He has been denied official status as a candidate on the grounds that he gained Armenian citizenship in 2001, whereas a presidential candidate must be a citizen and reside in Armenia for at least 10 years prior to a bid. Hovhannisian, who argues that he has applied for Armenian citizenship repeatedly since 1992 but faced obstruction from both administrations, has taken his case to court and may add an element of unpredictability to the race.

Given the overwhelming advantage of the incumbent and the relative weakness of his adversaries, Kocharian seems well positioned to win re-election. If his coalition remains strong through the presidential campaign and elections, most of the opposition parties will be seriously weakened and have little chance of entering parliament in May, with the possible exception of Hanrapetutiun and the NA. It is likely that a group of seats will be awarded to newly created pro-Kocharian parties. Given the country’s recent political history, however, new opposition groups can be expected to emerge as a result of disagreements within the ruling coalition. Whether they will have better success than the current crop remains to be seen."

Document(s): Open document