Opposition MP: Armenian authorities  follow the path of communism by  nationalizing enterprises

ArmInfo. By nationalizing enterprises, Armenian authorities are following the  path of communism, as stated by lawyer Aram Vardevanyan, MP from the  opposition "Strong Armenia" faction, from the podium of the National  Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.

According to him, this raises the question of whether the state can  act as an effective manager. International experience shows that it  cannot. Nevertheless, the Armenian state either appoints its  representatives to nationalized companies or becomes a stakeholder in  these enterprises. "Where did this model come from?  For instance,  Sweden wanted to hold shares in its companies, but nothing of the  kind succeeded there.  Why, then, are the Armenian authorities  purposefully taking this path? The formula expressed by one of the  deputies regarding HayPost CJSC is very interesting—namely, that  services in state-owned companies should be of a very high standard,  as should the salaries of their employees. 

But where are the criteria for evaluating the managers of these  companies? Such criteria exist for members of parliament, but who can  say where the evaluation criteria approved and applied to the heads  of state- owned industrial organizations are? Recent years have  provided a clear answer to this question:  membership in the ruling  Civil Contract party or a relationship with an associated party,"  Vardevanyan noted, urging the ruling faction to answer by what  criteria of professionalism Romanos Petrosyan was appointed as the  interim manager of Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC.  He recalled  that an international audit will be conducted at the company.  Moreover, there are proposals to apply parliamentary oversight to the  performance of new managers at ENA. "And if it turns out that  management was ineffective, what will we say? This applies to both  government officials and the opposition," the deputy noted, adding  that the general public will bear the brunt of the consequences, as  the authorities' actions carry a distinct "red hue."