Early elections: way out of March crisis to ANC

March 4, 2010 - 12:52 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian National Congress’ rally signaled the start of a new process. The Congress presented its scheme on overcoming the March crisis to Armenian people, also intending to take legal action against the increase of gas prices, ANC spokesman Arman Musinyan said.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, in near future the opposition will start active public discussion on ANC’s “100 steps” economic program.

Commenting on the question of PanARMENIAN.Net reporter , whether it would be advisable to restrict themselves to specific date for early parliamentary and presidential elections in Armenia, Arman Musinyan stated that the date was already submitted to EC consideration, so little digressions from the date specified are of little importance.

Dwelling on discussion of Armenian Genocide Resolution at U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Armen Musinyan expressed doubts over US agreeing to sacrifice its vital regional interests to the recognition of Genocide. “The issue of international recognition of Genocide exhausted itself, after RA President agreed on formation of Armenia-Turkey intergovernmental historic subcommittee,” he emphasized.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

Armenian National Congress

Before elections of 19 February 2008 around the presidential candidate, Levon Ter-Petrossian, the first Armenian President, an alliance of more than 20 political parties and initiatives formed the all-national movement. On May 2, 2008 at the 2nd Congress of all-national movement Levon Ter-Petrossian put forward the idea of establishing the Armenian National Congress. On August 1, 2008 during a rally the Armenian National Congress was formally established.\r\n\r\nAmong the basic requirements of ANC are the release of political prisoners, restoration of the constitutional rights of citizens and the holding of early elections.