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"HERITAGE" WISHES GOOD ELECTIONS TO ALL VOTERS
A1+
03:52 pm | March 23, 2009
Politics
On March 23, the Heritage party has issued a statement on the May 31
Elections for Yerevan's Council of Elders, which holds in part:
The Heritage Party,
- placing a huge importance to the elections for the Council of Elders
of Yerevan, in terms of the institutional establishment of Armenia;
- considering these elections as yet another chance for our country
to ultimately form in the Armenian capital-and by way of free, fair,
and transparent elections-legitimate authorities who are chosen by
the people;
- bearing in mind Yerevan's growing importance for the country and
that this importance makes the elections for the Council of Elders
become, to some extent, equivalent to the national elections;
- remaining true to its adopted values and work ethics;
- expressing with regret that it was impossible to reach an accordance
with the Armenian National Congress (ANC) with respect to a united
list of candidates for the elections;
- condemning the authorities' limitations put on the freedom of speech
and the ongoing firm establishment of an environment of intolerance,
the "instructed" and unsubstantiated accusations against Heritage
and its founder Raffi K. Hovannisian disseminated over the years by
the media that serve the ruling administration, the deluge of lies
and disinformation which periodically grows worse especially before
elections, as well as registering-for the record-certain oppositional
media's attempts to imitate the aforesaid defective mode of operation
in the recent week and doing this with the silent support by the ANC;
- acknowledging all too well that if, under the condition of a low
political culture reigning in the country, the opposition participates
in the elections with two separate lists, the ensuing clash will
be inevitable even in the case of exerting the greatest of efforts
to prevent it, and the victims will be the whole opposition and the
entire people, and they will assume the complete task of thwarting
such likely confrontation; and
- understanding that under such conditions one of these two
oppositional forces must give way,
hereby decides:
To not present its own candidate list for the elections for Yerevan's
Council of Elders, to be held on May 31, 2009, and urges its voters and
all Yerevan residents to cast their ballots in favor of the opposition.
Heritage also reaffirms its resolve, as the INDEPENDENT PUBLIC
OVERSEER, to:
- wage an all-out battle to keep the citizens' ballots not tampered
with and, by way of the election commission members it has appointed
and through its activities outside those commissions, to prevent all
attempts toward falsifying these ballots and thus to assist guarantee
the creation of equal conditions all through the pre-election
campaign-as well as throughout the period prior and subsequent to
it-and in this way to attain free, fair, transparent and, as a result,
legitimate elections; and
- monitor the entire election process, and to record and inform the
body politic and the law enforcement of the cases of election fraud.
The Heritage Party wishes good elections to all voters and political
forces taking part in them. Let the will of the Yerevan residents
triumph on May 31 and the citizen of the three-millennia-old capital
of Armenia finally attain a blissful liberty that is anchored in the
God-given right to choose.
A1+
03:52 pm | March 23, 2009
Politics
On March 23, the Heritage party has issued a statement on the May 31
Elections for Yerevan's Council of Elders, which holds in part:
The Heritage Party,
- placing a huge importance to the elections for the Council of Elders
of Yerevan, in terms of the institutional establishment of Armenia;
- considering these elections as yet another chance for our country
to ultimately form in the Armenian capital-and by way of free, fair,
and transparent elections-legitimate authorities who are chosen by
the people;
- bearing in mind Yerevan's growing importance for the country and
that this importance makes the elections for the Council of Elders
become, to some extent, equivalent to the national elections;
- remaining true to its adopted values and work ethics;
- expressing with regret that it was impossible to reach an accordance
with the Armenian National Congress (ANC) with respect to a united
list of candidates for the elections;
- condemning the authorities' limitations put on the freedom of speech
and the ongoing firm establishment of an environment of intolerance,
the "instructed" and unsubstantiated accusations against Heritage
and its founder Raffi K. Hovannisian disseminated over the years by
the media that serve the ruling administration, the deluge of lies
and disinformation which periodically grows worse especially before
elections, as well as registering-for the record-certain oppositional
media's attempts to imitate the aforesaid defective mode of operation
in the recent week and doing this with the silent support by the ANC;
- acknowledging all too well that if, under the condition of a low
political culture reigning in the country, the opposition participates
in the elections with two separate lists, the ensuing clash will
be inevitable even in the case of exerting the greatest of efforts
to prevent it, and the victims will be the whole opposition and the
entire people, and they will assume the complete task of thwarting
such likely confrontation; and
- understanding that under such conditions one of these two
oppositional forces must give way,
hereby decides:
To not present its own candidate list for the elections for Yerevan's
Council of Elders, to be held on May 31, 2009, and urges its voters and
all Yerevan residents to cast their ballots in favor of the opposition.
Heritage also reaffirms its resolve, as the INDEPENDENT PUBLIC
OVERSEER, to:
- wage an all-out battle to keep the citizens' ballots not tampered
with and, by way of the election commission members it has appointed
and through its activities outside those commissions, to prevent all
attempts toward falsifying these ballots and thus to assist guarantee
the creation of equal conditions all through the pre-election
campaign-as well as throughout the period prior and subsequent to
it-and in this way to attain free, fair, transparent and, as a result,
legitimate elections; and
- monitor the entire election process, and to record and inform the
body politic and the law enforcement of the cases of election fraud.
The Heritage Party wishes good elections to all voters and political
forces taking part in them. Let the will of the Yerevan residents
triumph on May 31 and the citizen of the three-millennia-old capital
of Armenia finally attain a blissful liberty that is anchored in the
God-given right to choose.