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PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY VALUED THE OPPOSITION AT 5,000 DRAMS AND SOLD IT TO THE AUTHORITIES
by David Stepanyan
arminfo
Thursday, May 10, 13:57
ArmInfo's interview with Manvel Sargsyan , Head of the Armenian Center
for National and International Studies (ACNIS).
The election outcome was quite predictable. Let's talk of the
instruments used to achieve such outcome.
The atmosphere of the elections was clear long before the voting day.
It was obviously demonstrated when people were forcefully taken to
Serzh Sargsyan's meetings in different town of the republic within
the frames of the campaign. People were taken to the polling stations
at the voting day just the same way as to the meetings of the ruling
party. In other words, the result of the election was evident first
of all because of using of the administrative resource and than the
money one. By the way, Prosperous Armenia Party, which said about
its resoluteness to contradict bribe delivery, immediately after the
sitting of the single headquarters went to the regions of Armenia
to give bribes. And the headquarters said nothing about it. So,
two camps destined the results of the election, as they formed
equally dirty and apolitical atmosphere. The difference is that the
RPA "was gathering" votes by means of an
administrative resource, threats and bribes , and the PAP only by
means of bribes. Thanks to their joint work, one
pro-power party got 44% of votes and another one - 30%.
Another 4 forces have entered the parliament. What about their roles
and tasks?
All these forces have come across one specific problem - to take or
not to take the mandates. If these people say that the elections were
falsified but at the same time they take mandates, it means that they
transfer from the constitutional field to that of illegality. If all
these forces transfer to the anti-constitutional field, what they
will do there will be hardly interesting to anyone, as in that case
they will start playing according to the fixed rules.
Do you share the opinion that the elections passed with seeming
propriety?
The results achieved by means of administrative-criminal pressure
cannot be called legitimate.
Actually, all the international observers have recognized the elections
in line with international standards.
The international observers were honest when comparing these elections
with the elections of the Soviet times, that is, they were happy enough
not to see the ruling party collecting 99.9% of the voters. The world
community's position depends on what the Armenian parties will do:
if they dispute the results of the voting, the world community will
do the same. So, now the key task of the winner is to convince the
other parties not to do it.
The Republicans and Prosperous Armenia have gained an absolute majority
in the new parliament. How will their relations continue given the
presidential election of Feb 2013?
The relations between the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) depend on whether
the PAP will take its mandates. If it does, of which I am certain,
the party will enter the field of relations with the RPA. Having done
this, they will only have to think what to do next and what is more
profitable for them. I think it is profitable for the Prosperous
Armenia to keep playing the role of false opposition, to enlist the
sympathies of the opposition voters and at the same time to play the
master in the criminal and oligarchic regime, being a part of it. If
the PAP succeeds in being opposition, what disturbs it to play this
role for one more year? What disturbs it to advance a nominee at the
presidential election, who will be gently ousted by Serzh Sargsyan and
will ensure a second term for Sargsyan? What's wrong about it? I think
they will do it given that it is much more valuable than membership
in a false coalition. According to the scenario of the RPA and the
PAP, the latter may form a coalition with the former, having obtained
ministerial portfolios. Therefore, everything depends on the society's
attitude to the parties' activities.
Is it reasonable for ANC to refuse the mandates?
Over the past 4 years the strategy of the ANC proved its
worthlessness. It makes no difference whether the ANC will carry out
its activities in the streets or in the parliament. The ANC is unable
to change its strategy and tactics.
What about Dashnaktsutyun and Orinats Yerkir?
Nobody has noticed them and they play no special role in these
processes. The latter is only a refined method to provide the power
regime with several more mandates.
Does it mean that the Republicans do not need any coalition?
The Republican Party of Armenia will get as many as 80 seats in the new
parliament, the absolute majority being 67 seats. The Republicans' only
task now is to ensure one more presidential term for Serzh Sargsyan.
Whether they'll do it openly, through a coalition with Prosperous
Armenia, or secretly, as they did this time, will make no big
difference.
We have been complaining about monopolies since 1998. In 2008 the
people was openly suppressed in the very center of Yerevan. Most of
the people seem to have learned no lesson from all that, however...
It is already a tradition in Armenia for 20 years to say that, for
instance, such fundamental problems like changing of regime may be
resolved only by the political parties. In its expectations the society
is oriented only towards the parties. It is high time to get rid of
such a false stereotype. People in Armenia do not understand that
no political force is able to affect changing in the power formation
process. The day, when they ask who makes these changes, the people
will understand that they are the only to be able to do that.
Why do the political parties support this false stereotype that they
are the locomotive of the changing process? They evidently lie and
present their defeat like a revolution, and call the biggest bandokrat
- a democratizator and guarantor of the election. Just the opposition
parties give such false formulas to the society. These formulas cannot
be given by the regime as the people know very well what is the core
of the regime. But when these formulas are given by the "opposition",
the people become disoriented and cannot independently come out from
such a situation.
A total of 53,000 intentionally damaged ballot-papers mean that not
everything has been lost yet...
Those 53 thousand voters saw that they were deceived, but they have
not yet understood what should be done and what is their function. And
when they understand it, there will be thousands of "Mashtots Parks" in
Armenia, the last of which will be the parliament and the president's
palace. This happened in all the countries...The people have already
understood that nobody must be trusted in, that all the politicians
lie cynically. The people have already valued these opposition parties
for 5 thsd drams and sold them to the authorities.
The parties already say that the people sold them for 5 thsd drams,
but I think that actually they do not cost even 5 thsd drams.
From: A. Papazian
by David Stepanyan
arminfo
Thursday, May 10, 13:57
ArmInfo's interview with Manvel Sargsyan , Head of the Armenian Center
for National and International Studies (ACNIS).
The election outcome was quite predictable. Let's talk of the
instruments used to achieve such outcome.
The atmosphere of the elections was clear long before the voting day.
It was obviously demonstrated when people were forcefully taken to
Serzh Sargsyan's meetings in different town of the republic within
the frames of the campaign. People were taken to the polling stations
at the voting day just the same way as to the meetings of the ruling
party. In other words, the result of the election was evident first
of all because of using of the administrative resource and than the
money one. By the way, Prosperous Armenia Party, which said about
its resoluteness to contradict bribe delivery, immediately after the
sitting of the single headquarters went to the regions of Armenia
to give bribes. And the headquarters said nothing about it. So,
two camps destined the results of the election, as they formed
equally dirty and apolitical atmosphere. The difference is that the
RPA "was gathering" votes by means of an
administrative resource, threats and bribes , and the PAP only by
means of bribes. Thanks to their joint work, one
pro-power party got 44% of votes and another one - 30%.
Another 4 forces have entered the parliament. What about their roles
and tasks?
All these forces have come across one specific problem - to take or
not to take the mandates. If these people say that the elections were
falsified but at the same time they take mandates, it means that they
transfer from the constitutional field to that of illegality. If all
these forces transfer to the anti-constitutional field, what they
will do there will be hardly interesting to anyone, as in that case
they will start playing according to the fixed rules.
Do you share the opinion that the elections passed with seeming
propriety?
The results achieved by means of administrative-criminal pressure
cannot be called legitimate.
Actually, all the international observers have recognized the elections
in line with international standards.
The international observers were honest when comparing these elections
with the elections of the Soviet times, that is, they were happy enough
not to see the ruling party collecting 99.9% of the voters. The world
community's position depends on what the Armenian parties will do:
if they dispute the results of the voting, the world community will
do the same. So, now the key task of the winner is to convince the
other parties not to do it.
The Republicans and Prosperous Armenia have gained an absolute majority
in the new parliament. How will their relations continue given the
presidential election of Feb 2013?
The relations between the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) depend on whether
the PAP will take its mandates. If it does, of which I am certain,
the party will enter the field of relations with the RPA. Having done
this, they will only have to think what to do next and what is more
profitable for them. I think it is profitable for the Prosperous
Armenia to keep playing the role of false opposition, to enlist the
sympathies of the opposition voters and at the same time to play the
master in the criminal and oligarchic regime, being a part of it. If
the PAP succeeds in being opposition, what disturbs it to play this
role for one more year? What disturbs it to advance a nominee at the
presidential election, who will be gently ousted by Serzh Sargsyan and
will ensure a second term for Sargsyan? What's wrong about it? I think
they will do it given that it is much more valuable than membership
in a false coalition. According to the scenario of the RPA and the
PAP, the latter may form a coalition with the former, having obtained
ministerial portfolios. Therefore, everything depends on the society's
attitude to the parties' activities.
Is it reasonable for ANC to refuse the mandates?
Over the past 4 years the strategy of the ANC proved its
worthlessness. It makes no difference whether the ANC will carry out
its activities in the streets or in the parliament. The ANC is unable
to change its strategy and tactics.
What about Dashnaktsutyun and Orinats Yerkir?
Nobody has noticed them and they play no special role in these
processes. The latter is only a refined method to provide the power
regime with several more mandates.
Does it mean that the Republicans do not need any coalition?
The Republican Party of Armenia will get as many as 80 seats in the new
parliament, the absolute majority being 67 seats. The Republicans' only
task now is to ensure one more presidential term for Serzh Sargsyan.
Whether they'll do it openly, through a coalition with Prosperous
Armenia, or secretly, as they did this time, will make no big
difference.
We have been complaining about monopolies since 1998. In 2008 the
people was openly suppressed in the very center of Yerevan. Most of
the people seem to have learned no lesson from all that, however...
It is already a tradition in Armenia for 20 years to say that, for
instance, such fundamental problems like changing of regime may be
resolved only by the political parties. In its expectations the society
is oriented only towards the parties. It is high time to get rid of
such a false stereotype. People in Armenia do not understand that
no political force is able to affect changing in the power formation
process. The day, when they ask who makes these changes, the people
will understand that they are the only to be able to do that.
Why do the political parties support this false stereotype that they
are the locomotive of the changing process? They evidently lie and
present their defeat like a revolution, and call the biggest bandokrat
- a democratizator and guarantor of the election. Just the opposition
parties give such false formulas to the society. These formulas cannot
be given by the regime as the people know very well what is the core
of the regime. But when these formulas are given by the "opposition",
the people become disoriented and cannot independently come out from
such a situation.
A total of 53,000 intentionally damaged ballot-papers mean that not
everything has been lost yet...
Those 53 thousand voters saw that they were deceived, but they have
not yet understood what should be done and what is their function. And
when they understand it, there will be thousands of "Mashtots Parks" in
Armenia, the last of which will be the parliament and the president's
palace. This happened in all the countries...The people have already
understood that nobody must be trusted in, that all the politicians
lie cynically. The people have already valued these opposition parties
for 5 thsd drams and sold them to the authorities.
The parties already say that the people sold them for 5 thsd drams,
but I think that actually they do not cost even 5 thsd drams.
From: A. Papazian