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ARMEN HAROUTIUNIAN: POLITICAL FORCE BUYING VOTES WILL NEVER CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVEMENT OF CITIZENS' CONDITION
NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 4, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of complaints addressed
to the RA Ombudsman in connection with the May 31 Yerevan Council
of Elders elections was much less and tension much lower than in the
previous elections, including elections of Yerevan Kentron prefect. RA
Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian stated in his interview to the Shant TV
company. At that, besides a complaint on voters' not being included in
the list, the rest complaints were oral and not concrete. "I formed
an impression that different political forces organize calls in the
direction of each other to fix that this or that force has done such
things," the Ombudsman said.
According to the information of Ombudsman's Office, voter buying
had a mass nature in the past elections. The Ombudsman said that he
has repeatedly applied to voters asking them not to take money that
will be spent in a day or two and not to sell their future and the
future of their children. "A political force buying votes will never
contribute to improvement of citizens' condition, for that citizen
to be always needy, to take 5-10 thousand drams and to elect it."
Speaking about cases of beating journalists, A. Haroutiunian
said: "It is a permanent, everyday culture, it has become the
topic of the day. We are surprised if no violence is used to a
journalist." According to him, that phenomenon has also become a
component of the political culture.
NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 4, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of complaints addressed
to the RA Ombudsman in connection with the May 31 Yerevan Council
of Elders elections was much less and tension much lower than in the
previous elections, including elections of Yerevan Kentron prefect. RA
Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian stated in his interview to the Shant TV
company. At that, besides a complaint on voters' not being included in
the list, the rest complaints were oral and not concrete. "I formed
an impression that different political forces organize calls in the
direction of each other to fix that this or that force has done such
things," the Ombudsman said.
According to the information of Ombudsman's Office, voter buying
had a mass nature in the past elections. The Ombudsman said that he
has repeatedly applied to voters asking them not to take money that
will be spent in a day or two and not to sell their future and the
future of their children. "A political force buying votes will never
contribute to improvement of citizens' condition, for that citizen
to be always needy, to take 5-10 thousand drams and to elect it."
Speaking about cases of beating journalists, A. Haroutiunian
said: "It is a permanent, everyday culture, it has become the
topic of the day. We are surprised if no violence is used to a
journalist." According to him, that phenomenon has also become a
component of the political culture.