ON ANNIVERSARY OF 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, ACTIVISTS DISTRIBUTED 'BRIBES' IN YEREVAN
epress.am
02.20.2012
On Anniversary of 2008 Presidential Election, Activists Distributed
'Bribes' in Yerevan Armenian National Congress (HAK) activists on
Sunday recalled the Feb.
19, 2008 presidential election by marching through the streets
of Yerevan and distributing "banknotes," drawing attention to the
practice of buying votes.
The banknotes were replicas of the 5,000 Armenian dram note; however,
Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan's image was replaced with the image
of a bearded Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. According to the young
activists, they wanted to show that the presidential election 4 years
ago was rigged and that even today, votes can be bought (referring to
the Feb. 12 mayoral elections in Hrazdan in which residents claimed
5,000 drams were handed out to those who voted).
Image (above) used with permission and retrieved from Sevak
Kirakosyan's Facebook page
"Many passers-by were humored; there were people who considered 5,000
to be too little, while others refused to sell their vote. Armenia
can no longer have another fraudulent election; this is already an
issue of our existence, our independence, and this time we have to
be responsible for our vote at all costs," said one of the young
activists, Areg Gevorgyan, speaking to Epress.am and referring to
the upcoming parliamentary election.
epress.am
02.20.2012
On Anniversary of 2008 Presidential Election, Activists Distributed
'Bribes' in Yerevan Armenian National Congress (HAK) activists on
Sunday recalled the Feb.
19, 2008 presidential election by marching through the streets
of Yerevan and distributing "banknotes," drawing attention to the
practice of buying votes.
The banknotes were replicas of the 5,000 Armenian dram note; however,
Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan's image was replaced with the image
of a bearded Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. According to the young
activists, they wanted to show that the presidential election 4 years
ago was rigged and that even today, votes can be bought (referring to
the Feb. 12 mayoral elections in Hrazdan in which residents claimed
5,000 drams were handed out to those who voted).
Image (above) used with permission and retrieved from Sevak
Kirakosyan's Facebook page
"Many passers-by were humored; there were people who considered 5,000
to be too little, while others refused to sell their vote. Armenia
can no longer have another fraudulent election; this is already an
issue of our existence, our independence, and this time we have to
be responsible for our vote at all costs," said one of the young
activists, Areg Gevorgyan, speaking to Epress.am and referring to
the upcoming parliamentary election.