Tweet
ARMENIA: PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WITHOUT ANY CHOICE
Vestnik Kavkaza
May 16 2012
Russia
David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
The results of the parliamentary elections in Armenia surprised
nobody in Armenia. The election campaign created an atmosphere in
which administrative resources were working actively and accompanied
encouragements and threats. Citizens were forced to participate in
demonstrations in favor of the ruling party in order to listen to
election slogans of Republican Party of Armenia voiced by President
Serge Sargsyan.
People were forced to come, but nobody could resist the process,
including three parties' United Election Headquarters, that stated
their political will and readiness to resist falsifications. Only
words - no action, while the process was rather open. On election day
citizens and observers saw how people were taken to polling stations
in the same way they were forced to take part in demonstrations.
Republicans showed their special love for disabled people, whom they
carried to ballot stations in expensive cars. So the result of the
elections was predetermined due to administrative resource, rather
than money. The coalition party Prosperous Armenia loudly stated
in the United Headquarters about its resolution to resist bribery,
but right after the session the headquarters went to regions and gave
bribes to citizens. The results of the elections were determined by
two forces which formed a similarly apolitical atmosphere.
Due to their work, the RPA won the elections with 44.02% of the votes,
with second place taken by Prosperous Armenia (30.12%) and the Armenian
National Congress gaining 7.08%. As the Republicans have an absolute
majority in the parliament, they don't need to form a new coalition
to compose the government. However, in February 2013 the presidential
elections will take place, and Serge Sargsyan needs the support of
PA at least. That is why the intrigue of the future government is
still fresh.
The other forces who entered the parliament face only one problem -
to accept or to reject their mandates. If they accept their mandates,
they will have to end their political careers and show society that
they are anti-constitutional unities similar to the pro-government
parties. Rejection of the election results is the only way to justify
their participation in power games. But that is ridiculous. The point
is not whether international observers will recognize the elections as
legitimate or not. The West will recognize them as legitimate if the
Armenian parties do so. If the Armenian parties reject their mandates,
international observers won't recognize the elections as legitimate.
However, there is no hope these parties will reject their mandates. At
the moment only the leader of the ANC, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and the
leader of the party Republic, Aram Sarkisyan, have done so, because
Ter-Petrosyan intends to participate in the presidential elections
in 2013, while Sarkisyan wants to leave the ANC coalition and join PA.
In general, the results of the elections show that the Armenian society
hasn't come to any conclusions and hasn't learned anything from the
events of recent years, especially March 1st 2008. The problem is not
in society itself, but in its orientation towards political forces. Six
parties got into the parliament, but society cannot rely on them. In
Armenia political parties do not solve any fundamental problems.
The only relief in the current situation are the 53 thousand ballots
declared invalid and purposely spoiled. These 53 thousand citizens
still hope for sobriety in Armenian society. These 53 thousand voters
saw that they are being cheated. And it makes us hope for changes in
the social mentality and changes in the country.
From: Baghdasarian
Vestnik Kavkaza
May 16 2012
Russia
David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
The results of the parliamentary elections in Armenia surprised
nobody in Armenia. The election campaign created an atmosphere in
which administrative resources were working actively and accompanied
encouragements and threats. Citizens were forced to participate in
demonstrations in favor of the ruling party in order to listen to
election slogans of Republican Party of Armenia voiced by President
Serge Sargsyan.
People were forced to come, but nobody could resist the process,
including three parties' United Election Headquarters, that stated
their political will and readiness to resist falsifications. Only
words - no action, while the process was rather open. On election day
citizens and observers saw how people were taken to polling stations
in the same way they were forced to take part in demonstrations.
Republicans showed their special love for disabled people, whom they
carried to ballot stations in expensive cars. So the result of the
elections was predetermined due to administrative resource, rather
than money. The coalition party Prosperous Armenia loudly stated
in the United Headquarters about its resolution to resist bribery,
but right after the session the headquarters went to regions and gave
bribes to citizens. The results of the elections were determined by
two forces which formed a similarly apolitical atmosphere.
Due to their work, the RPA won the elections with 44.02% of the votes,
with second place taken by Prosperous Armenia (30.12%) and the Armenian
National Congress gaining 7.08%. As the Republicans have an absolute
majority in the parliament, they don't need to form a new coalition
to compose the government. However, in February 2013 the presidential
elections will take place, and Serge Sargsyan needs the support of
PA at least. That is why the intrigue of the future government is
still fresh.
The other forces who entered the parliament face only one problem -
to accept or to reject their mandates. If they accept their mandates,
they will have to end their political careers and show society that
they are anti-constitutional unities similar to the pro-government
parties. Rejection of the election results is the only way to justify
their participation in power games. But that is ridiculous. The point
is not whether international observers will recognize the elections as
legitimate or not. The West will recognize them as legitimate if the
Armenian parties do so. If the Armenian parties reject their mandates,
international observers won't recognize the elections as legitimate.
However, there is no hope these parties will reject their mandates. At
the moment only the leader of the ANC, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and the
leader of the party Republic, Aram Sarkisyan, have done so, because
Ter-Petrosyan intends to participate in the presidential elections
in 2013, while Sarkisyan wants to leave the ANC coalition and join PA.
In general, the results of the elections show that the Armenian society
hasn't come to any conclusions and hasn't learned anything from the
events of recent years, especially March 1st 2008. The problem is not
in society itself, but in its orientation towards political forces. Six
parties got into the parliament, but society cannot rely on them. In
Armenia political parties do not solve any fundamental problems.
The only relief in the current situation are the 53 thousand ballots
declared invalid and purposely spoiled. These 53 thousand citizens
still hope for sobriety in Armenian society. These 53 thousand voters
saw that they are being cheated. And it makes us hope for changes in
the social mentality and changes in the country.
From: Baghdasarian