PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN DRAWING TO ITS END
By A. Muradian
AZG Armenian Daily
03/05/2007
Thus, the pre-election campaign in Armenia is drawing to its end. A
little more than a week is left before the elections and most probably
no change will occur in the already established balance of political
forces. Therefore a preliminary summary of the campaign can be set
up and its peculiarities outlined.
Eventually the election campaign of 2007 considerably differs from
the previous ones due to its relative calmness and fairness. If in
2003 the main arguments of the opposition were random accusations
and defamatory statements to the authorities’ address (as a certain
part of the society still put some trust in the opposition), this
year from the very beginning of the pre-election campaign it became
oblivious that those old methods shall not work any longer.
This year the majority was won by those parties, which realized
that the public needs distinct programs and actions plans on the
improvement of social, economic and political life in Armenia, and
avoided populism.
This change should be considered a serious step towards civic society
in our country. Social surveys on March 16-25 affirmed that most
of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia are disappointed and
skeptic about those politicians who continued yelling of revolution,
impeachment and other radical measures.
"Bargavaj Hayastan" (Thriving Armenia) party was the one to have
the most realistic and distinctively elaborated program, which won
the sympathies of a large number of electors. Most of the opposition
parties, according to their capabilities, followed this example, and
therefore were called traitors by the representatives of marginal
conservative opposition, which still adheres to the methods of
groundless threats, unreasonable offences and populism.
However, only on May 12, on the day of the parliamentary elections
it would be possible to say for sure, which methods have proven
most effective.