RULING PARTIES BEGUN TO MAKE USE OF ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCES AHEAD OF ELECTIONS: MP
epress.am
11.08.2011
If fair elections are held then no political party can hold the
majority of seats in parliament and in political terms, today's
opposition parties will be ahead, said Heritage Party MP Armen
Martirosyan, speaking to journalists in the Armenian capital today.
Asked who he sees in parliament after the 2012 elections, the
opposition MP said he doesn't rule out the possibility of new parties
winning seats in parliament.
"But we see that the ruling parties, let me put it this way, have
begun to openly, bluntly and even harshly take advantage of [their]
administrative resources. In this case still nothing gives us hope
that we will have [free and] fair elections," he said.
Martirosyan described how his Heritage Party wanted to hold one of its
meetings in a school auditorium but was denied on the grounds that,
according to law, such events can't be held in schools as schools
cannot be made partisan.
"But now, during this lively period, with flags, insignia in schools,
the prime minister, under his patronage, distributing party tickets
in the presence of high-ranking officials - no one says that this
is a strict violation of the law; that is to say, such practice is
undoubtedly far from the idea of free and fair elections," he said.
In the deputy's opinion, parliamentary elections' developments have
begun much earlier and are now accelerating.
Last week's dismissals of high-ranking officials, Martirosyan
continued, falls exclusively within the logic of pre-election activity
and further dismissals can be expected.
The culmination of these developments, in his opinion, will be in the
actual campaign period, during the last month before elections. The
MP added that the rearranging of positions will be both among the
ruling elite and the opposition.
At this time, Martirosyan mentioned, the Heritage Party intends to
run on its own in the parliamentary elections, but doesn't exclude
the option of joining with another party or parties in an alliance.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
epress.am
11.08.2011
If fair elections are held then no political party can hold the
majority of seats in parliament and in political terms, today's
opposition parties will be ahead, said Heritage Party MP Armen
Martirosyan, speaking to journalists in the Armenian capital today.
Asked who he sees in parliament after the 2012 elections, the
opposition MP said he doesn't rule out the possibility of new parties
winning seats in parliament.
"But we see that the ruling parties, let me put it this way, have
begun to openly, bluntly and even harshly take advantage of [their]
administrative resources. In this case still nothing gives us hope
that we will have [free and] fair elections," he said.
Martirosyan described how his Heritage Party wanted to hold one of its
meetings in a school auditorium but was denied on the grounds that,
according to law, such events can't be held in schools as schools
cannot be made partisan.
"But now, during this lively period, with flags, insignia in schools,
the prime minister, under his patronage, distributing party tickets
in the presence of high-ranking officials - no one says that this
is a strict violation of the law; that is to say, such practice is
undoubtedly far from the idea of free and fair elections," he said.
In the deputy's opinion, parliamentary elections' developments have
begun much earlier and are now accelerating.
Last week's dismissals of high-ranking officials, Martirosyan
continued, falls exclusively within the logic of pre-election activity
and further dismissals can be expected.
The culmination of these developments, in his opinion, will be in the
actual campaign period, during the last month before elections. The
MP added that the rearranging of positions will be both among the
ruling elite and the opposition.
At this time, Martirosyan mentioned, the Heritage Party intends to
run on its own in the parliamentary elections, but doesn't exclude
the option of joining with another party or parties in an alliance.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress