Armenian Debacle

The Washington Post, 1 October 1996

ARMENIA GETS more U.S. aid per capita than any other country
but Israel. It earned this distinction not only through the
fervent interest of so many Armenian Americans but also by
portraying itself — and for a time living up to the image of
being — a true democracy in the post-Soviet world. Sadly,
reality has moved far from that image, as incumbent president
Levon Ter-Petrossian has claimed reelection after a vote marred
by fraud and has arrested or sent into exile or underground much
of his political opposition. Almost as sadly, the U.S. government
has reserved its strongest condemnation thus far for the
opposition, even as Armenia slides toward authoritarian rule.

Armenia embarked on its post-Soviet independence with great
and legitimate hopes five years ago. Unlike so many other
republics in the region where former Communist bosses simply
repainted themselves as democrats, it chose as its leader a
scholar and former dissident in Mr. Ter-Petrossian. But more than
a year ago, the president started down the slope toward rule by
Diktat, banning a major opposition party and gagging much of
the press. Parliamentary elections last year were widely
condemned for violations of fairness.

In the just-completed presidential election, Mr.
Ter-Petrossian enjoyed 1,050 minutes of coverage on state
television, compared with 65 minutes for his leading opponent —
a former prime minister and onetime ally named Vazgen Manoukian.
According to international observers, the vote itself was marred
by “significant and serious breaches in the law.” The
observers’ preliminary report suggested that such breaches were
not enough to sway the election, but now that Mr. Ter-Petrossian
has claimed just shy of 52 percent of the vote — he needed 50
percent to avoid a runoff — the legitimacy of his victory is in
strong doubt.

Opposition rallies in the capital of Yerevan were huge and
largely peaceful, but fighting broke out on one occasion when the
election commission refused to order a recount. Now the incumbent
has sent troops and tanks into the capital, imposing a virtual
state of emergency. Opposition deputies have been beaten and
kicked out of parliament. Troops have stormed into opposition
party headquarters and shut them down.

In the face of this, the State Department has mustered
nothing more than to say it is following events “with great
interest” while finding “regrettable and
unfortunate” the opposition violence. What is truly
regrettable is not just this mealy-mouthed American response but
the sight of a small nation with a sad but courageous history
watching its chance at self-rule being stolen.