Public debate project may fail, paper says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia Liberty media outlet received a grant by U.S.-based National Democracy Institute (NDI) to organize public debates between parliamentary candidates in different constituencies. The debates were expected to be held in Congress Hotel in Yerevan, Hraparak paper reports.

However, this project may fail because almost no candidate including the opposition ones agrees to participate in public debates.

Hraparak contacted Radio Liberty director Aghasi Yenokyan to find out whether the issue of debates has finally failed or not. Yenokyan replied this is not true for now because negotiations with candidates are still underway.

According to the paper, the process may be delayed until May 4, since candidates in Armenia prefer to sit alone and answer questions which are agreed upon in advance, while debates may feature awkward questions thus revealing the real capacities of the future deputies.

That's why the candidates prefer avoiding “the trouble”, namely the debates, paper says.