Oligarchic government gives in –Styopa Safaryan  

In an interview with Tert.am, political scientist Stepan Safaryan commented on the Tuesday appointments of little known, unaffiliated and apolitical figures. He noted that their being “little known” and not clan members grants great freedom to them.

Mr Safaryan, what is your opinion of the new appointments or, to be more precise, absence of some of the former cabinet members. What signals are intended for society?

The oligarchic government has given in. I think oligarchic circles’ positions are getting weaker, which is certainly a positive signal. Of course, it is not that all the ties with oligarchic circles have been severed. Or, to be precise, the wing that has struck roots seems to be weakening. Of course, being unaffiliated makes the new cabinet members rather weak because they can revel in the support of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and business circles as much as they enjoy President Serzh Sargsyan’s support. But it certainly means essentially weaker positions of ex-premier Hovik Abrahamyan. He was not a weak figure in the power pyramid.  And we can see that these odious figures are leaving. Will the new ones change the rules of the game? I have no answer to this question now. We do not know some of them well.

Does this all mean a signal to society that new persons are coming?

Being a well known figure is not yet a good signal. So I would not disapprove of their not being well known. Another question is that I, as well as society, do not know about their professional skills. But people that have nothing in common with this political architecture are obviously being appointed.