Monday, September 12 2016 13:03

ArmInfo. The large-scale  personnel reforms promised by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan  during the meeting of the Council of the Republican Party of Armenia  (RPA) have already started behind the scenes and now it is the turn  of official appointments.   

According to media reports, significant and unexpected reforms will  shortly be held in the President's Administration and will cover PR  first. Several Armenian newspapers say that last night a meeting was  held at the President's Administration and a decision was taken to  dismiss Sevak Lalayan as the President's "speechwriter". In political  circles Lalayan is known to be a "grey cardinal", whose direct  obligations are not restricted to writing of the President's  speeches. He controls almost 90% of the media field of Armenia, the  activities of most politicians of the ruling RP, and the PR campaign  of the Republican Party during all the latest elections. Most  politicians coordinate their steps with the President through Lalayan  or with Lalayan in person. Therefore, his possible resignation has  proved to surprise many people. The pro-power sources of ArmInfo,  though, say that the specified decision was taken as early as 10 days  ago. 

Ex-head of the Council of the Public Television and Radio Company  Alexan Harutyunyan, who is said to be the "representative" of the  second president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, may replace Lalayan. In  this light, Harutyunyan's possible appointment seems a bit  unexpected; however, given that according to the same media outlets  the incumbent Secretary of the National Security Council Armen  Gevorgyan, who held that post during Kocharyan's term in office as  well, will head the President's Administration, the logic of  Harutyunyan's appointment becomes clear.    

Ara Saghatelyan, Head of the Information and PR Center of the  President's Administration, is also reported to say good-bye to his  post in the near future. 

As regards more radical personnel reshuffle, Armenian and Russian  sources say that Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan will  shortly leave his post. On October 14, during the meeting of the CSTO  Council in Yerevan, Ohanyan is going to replace Nikolay Bordyuzha as  CSTO Secretary General.  

Earlier ArmInfo reported that after National Security Council  Secretary Armen Gevorgyan replaces Vigen Sargsyan as the head of the  President's Staff, the latter will be appointed foreign minister.  Head of the Tax Service Hovik Hovsepyan may be dismissed in the near  future. The   former Prosecutor General, Gevorg Kostanyan, will  replace Yuri Vardanyan as Armenia's Ambassador to Georgia. Acting  Deputy Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan's nominee will be advanced  for the prosecutor general's post.

The Armenian President previously advanced Gazprom-Mezhregiongaz  Deputy Director Karen Karapetyan's nominee for the prime minister's  post. The Government will undergo other changes as well, but there is  no official information yet.    

The personnel reshuffle will not be the only surprise in the run-up  to the parliamentary elections of May 2017. According to ArmInfo's  sources, by January 2017 lawmaker-businessman Gagik Tsarukyan will  announce his return to the politics through his Prosperous Armenia  Party (PAP). He may head the party as honorary president, while the  incumbent PAP leader Naira Zohrabyan will keep carrying out the  ongoing obligations of the party. The members of the PAP ask  Tsarukyan to return to the politics and this issue is raised during  the PAP members' meetings with the incumbent leadership of the party.