The OEK Party Failed to Fulfill its 2012 Promises

Days after the 2012 parliamentary elections, the Orinats Yerkir party (OEK) signed a memorandum on coalition with the Republican Party which had garnered the majority of votes in the elections.

In response to criticism, OEK was quick to announce that they formed a coalition to realize their election platform. At that time it was announced that the government program was developed based on the Orinats Yerkir party’s pre-election platform.

Having 3 ministerial portfolios and being a part of the factual government, OEK has not fulfilled its own promises.

In particular, referring to issues related to families, mothers and children, OEK had proposed a lump sum allowance of 100 000 AMD for the 1st born, 200,000 AMD for the second, and 500,000 AMD for the third child.

Today, however, the one-time allowance for the 1st born and the 2nd child is a mere sum of 50,000 AMD.

Presumably, OEK has understood that similar promises during this elections will no longer deliver. Orinats Yerkir party has undergone a name change and takes part in the 2017 parliamentary elections as the Armenian Renaissance Party, while in its party platform OEK is bypassing the clear promises of the birth allowance, only vaguely mentioning the necessity of increasing the birth lump-sum allowance.

Another unfulfilled promise was access to discounts on public transport for the students, which not only hasn’t been fulfilled, but instead 2015 saw an attempt to raise public transport prices.

The list of unfulfilled promises goes on, further including the construction of Vanadzor-Fioletovo new railway, construction of a pipeline for transportation of petroleum products from Iran to Armenia and so on.