Orinats Yerkir
Օրինաց երկիր
LeaderArtur Baghdasaryan
Founded1998
HeadquartersYerevan
IdeologyLiberal conservatism
Christian democracy
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre-right
European affiliationEuropean People's Party (former observer)
International affiliationCentrist Democrat International[1]
Colours  gold
  blue
National Assembly
0 / 107
Website
http://www.oek.am

Orinats Yerkir (Armenian: Օրինաց երկիր, lit. 'Rule of Law', ՕԵԿ/OEK) is a political party operating in Armenia. Its foundation was in 1998, and founder Artur Baghdasaryan continues to lead the party. The party was formerly known as Armenian Renaissance (Armenian: Հայկական վերածնունդ, romanized: Haykakan veratsnund), during the run-up to the 2017 parliamentary elections.

The party's name is translated into English in a number of ways, including Country of Law[2] and Rule of Law.[3]

Party history

The party participated in elections for the first time during the 1999 Armenian parliamentary election, winning a total of 6 seats in the National Assembly.

Following the 2003 elections, the party won 19 seats. Also in 2003, Gagik Aslanyan, the Chairman of the People's Democratic Party, opted to merge his party with Orinats Yerkir.[4]

Following the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections, the party obtained 9 seats in the National Assembly.

In the February 2008 presidential election, Baghdasaryan was the party's candidate; he obtained third place, according to the final official results, with 17.7% of the vote.[5]

The party participated in the 2009 Yerevan City Council election, winning 5.11% of votes, but failing to gain seats in the Yerevan City Council.

After the 2012 Armenian parliamentary election, the party won 6 seats in the National Assembly.

The party participated in the 2013 Yerevan City Council election, winning just 3.73% of votes, gaining no seats in the Yerevan City Council.

In 2014, during an interview, Petros Makeyan, the leader of the Democratic Homeland Party, proclaimed that Serzh Sargsyan, the leader of the Republican Party of Armenia, had been indirectly controlling the Orinats Yerkir party for years.[6]

In 2017, the party was renamed "Armenian Renaissance" after the creation of a political alliance with the Unified Armenians Party, led by Ruben Avagyan.[7] Following the 2017 Armenian parliamentary election, the alliance lost all political representation in the National Assembly, receiving just 3.72% of the popular vote. The alliance dissolved and Orinats Yerkir then decided to restore its original name during a meeting held on 13 February 2018.[8]

The party participated in the 2018 Yerevan City Council election, winning just 1.09% of the popular vote, gaining no seats in the Yerevan City Council.

The party initially refused to participate in the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election because the National Assembly failed to pass amendments to electoral law,[9] yet days later decided to register with the country's CEC in order to participate in the elections.[10] It received just 0.99% of the popular vote. As this was lower than the 5% minimum threshold required, the party failed to gain any representation in the National Assembly.

During the 2020–2021 Armenian protests, Orinats Yerkir announced its support to the Homeland Salvation Movement political alliance, however, the alliance did not accept their request to join as a full member.[11]

The party did not participate in the 2021 Armenian parliamentary election. The party currently acts as an extra-parliamentary force.

Ideology

During an interview in 2007, party leader, Artur Baghdasaryan stated that, "Armenia's membership in the European Union should be one of the key priorities of our country's present and future foreign policy, as EU membership will open new avenues for Armenia."[12] Baghdasaryan further stated that in order to begin accession negotiations with the EU, Armenia would have to strengthen its democracy and complete legal, social, economic and political reforms in order to meet European standards, just as the Baltic states have done.[12]

The party is mostly pro-Western but also supports maintaining positive relations with Russia. The party additionally supports the goals and initiatives of the EU's Eastern Partnership program.[13]

Electoral history

Parliamentary elections
Year Party-list Constituency /total Total seats +/–
Votes % Seats /total
1999 56,807 5.3% 4 /56 2 /75 6 /131 Steady
2003 148,381 12.9% 12 /56 7 /75 19 /131 Increase 13
2007 95,324 7.1% 16 /90 0 /41 9 /131 Decrease 10
2012 83,123 5.5% 5 /90 1 /41 5 /131 Decrease 4
2017 58,265 3.7% 0 /105 — 0 /105 Decrease 5
2018[14][15] 12,389 0.99% 0 /132 — 0 /132 Steady

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Centrist Democrat International". Archived from the original on 27 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Armenia To Hold First Major Election Since Power Change". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  3. ↑ "Rule of Law party 'rules out' cooperation with pro-Kocharyan team". tert.am. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "ARMENIA'S CURRENT IS NOT AS DIGNIFIED AS IT MAY BE IN THE FUTURE". a1plus.am. 7 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "RA CEC DECLARED SERGE SARGSIAN ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT", defacto.am, 25 February 2008.
  6. ↑ ""Սերժ Սարգսյանն Արթուր Բաղդասարյանին որպես, բոյով, սիրուն տղա՝ պահեց". Պետրոս Մակեյան". aravot.am.
  7. ↑ ""Միավորված հայեր" կուսակցությունը միաձուլվել է "Հայկական վերածնունդ միավորման" մեջ". Armtimes.com (in Armenian). Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  8. ↑ ""Հայկական վերածնունդ" կուսակցությունը որոշել է միավորվել "Օրինաց երկիր" կուսակցությանը". armenpress.am (in Armenian). Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  9. ↑ "Newspaper: Orinats Yerkir party not to participate in early elections". news.am. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "Eleven Political Parties Register For Armenia's Parliamentary Elections". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "ՕԵԿ-ին Հայրենիքի փրկության շարժումը մերժել է". iravunk.com.
  12. 1 2 "ARMINFO – independent armenian news agency". 7 June 2007. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007.
  13. ↑ "Armenia 2017: An introduction to the party-political landscape" (PDF). European Friends of Armenia. March 2017.
  14. ↑ ռ/կ, Ազատություն (10 December 2018). "ԿԸՀ-ն ամփոփել է 2010 ընտրատեղամասերի արդյունքները, "Իմ քայլը" ստացել է ձայների 70,43 տոկոսը". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան.
  15. ↑ "ՀՀ 7-րդ գումարման ազգային ժողովում կլինի 132 պատգամավոր. "Իմ քայլը" դաշինքը կունենա 88 մանդատ, ԲՀԿ-ն՝ 26, ԼՀԿ-ն՝ 18". tert.am.
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