Elections in Armenia Could be Improved Only by Changing Society’s Value System

By Harut Sassounian ~ Publisher, The California Courier

Last week’s presidential elections in Armenia received substantial coverage in the international media. Here is how The Economist, a British weekly newspaper, assessed the situation:

“Elections in former Soviet republics rarely yield surprises. The incumbent wins; the opposition cries foul; it takes to the streets. The presidential vote in Armenia on February 19th ran true to form. Serzh Sarkisian, the prime minister, won 53% of the vote, enough to avert a runoff with his main rival, Levon Ter-Petrossian, with 21%. Mr. Ter-Petrossian, a former president, said Mr. Sarkisian had stolen the vote even before ballots were counted. Independent observers talked of ballot stuffing and intimidation. Yet, as thousands of demonstrators gathered in central Yerevan, monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe opined that the election was ‘mostly in line with the country’s international commitments’, even though the vote count in 16% of stations was ‘bad or very bad’. That verdict makes it more unlikely that the opposition can overturn the results.”

While Everyone was Busy Watching Elections in America and Armenia …

By Harut Sassounian ~ Publisher, The California Courier

In recent weeks, while Armenian-Americans were preoccupied with Presidential elections in America and Armenia, there were other interesting developments that may not have attracted public attention. Here are my brief observations on some of them:

Armenian-American Community Has Come a Long Way…

By Harut Sassounian ~ Publisher, The California Courier

We all can recall the time when a city councilman would show up at an annual banquet with a proclamation commending Armenians and their achievements. Those in attendance would welcome the politician with rousing applause and a standing ovation. And if the elected official managed to greet the audience with one or two mangled Armenian words, he or she would be hailed as a hero.

Candidates McCain, Romney & Huckabee Don’t Seem Interested in Armenian Voters

By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier

While Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards issued strong statements last month recognizing the Armenian Genocide and expressing support for other Armenian issues, Republican candidates John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee do not seem as interested in courting Armenian-American voters.

Erdogan’s Insulting Words about Obama May Haunt Turkey after the Elections

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Armenians can always count on Turkish leaders to make berserk and emotional statements that inadvertently further publicize the issue of the Armenian Genocide.

Last week, when presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards, as well as Sen. Joe Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued statements reaffirming the Armenian Genocide, Turkish Prime Minister Rejeb Tayyip Erdogan made rude and insulting comments about Sen. Obama, thus attracting further media attention to the Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey.

Presidential Candidates should be Asked For more than just Genocide Affirmation

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

In every U.S. presidential election for the past several decades, Armenian-Americans, including this writer, have gone to great lengths to make sure that they supported the candidate that acknowledged the Armenian Genocide during the campaign and, even more importantly, promised to do so after the election.