Independent Online, South Africa
May 11 2007
Rich arm-wrestler accused of buying votes
May 11 2007 at 07:32AM
Yerevan – Armenia’s ruling elite have unleashed a powerful weapon on
voters ahead of parliamentary elections here on Saturday: Gagik
Tsarukian, the former arm wrestling champion of the world.
After winning his title, Tsarukian founded a multi-million-dollar
petrol station and vodka empire and it is this wealth, not his
muscles, that the small ex-Soviet republic’s political elite appears
to be counting on.
Critics accuse Tsarukian of openly buying votes for his Prosperous
Armenia party, which was formed last year with the support of
President Robert Kocharian – allegedly to siphon votes from true
opposition parties.
Tsarukian acknowledges that he supports the president, but insists he
has a genuine interest in governing.
Whatever the methods, Tsarukian, 50, is becoming popular.
Polls show Prosperous Armenia winning 20-25 percent of the vote on
Saturday, only five to 10 percent behind the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (HKK).
At a recent rally in the capital Yerevan, even Tsarukian’s
thick-necked bodyguards could not keep supporters from mobbing the
candidate.
They broke through security to swarm around Tsarukian, shaking his
beefy hand or handing him letters and notes pleading for his help.
But media have reported that Prosperous Armenia is offering
supporters more than promises in this election campaign.
Reports say that voters are being given 20 000 Armenian drams (about
R393) in exchange for agreeing to vote for the party and that
Tsarukian has personally financed local reconstruction projects to
win support.
Tsarukian’s fans insist their support is genuine.
"He’s a real man, a great sportsman and a smart businessman. He’s
exactly what Armenia needs," construction worker Artur Gukasian said
after shaking Tsarukian’s hand at a rally.
"And if he wants to help people out sometimes, why not?"
Yerevan political analyst Alexander Iskandarian said Prosperous
Armenia’s popularity showed that Armenia’s democracy was still far
from perfect.
"Unfortunately, the main issue for many voters is how to best sell
their votes," he said.
But given Armenia’s history of ballot stuffing and voter fraud,
vote-selling may actually reflect some progress in Armenia’s
democratic development, he added.
"If some parties are trying to buy people’s votes, at least that
means their votes matter to the outcome of the election," he said.
Saturday’s election is being watched closely by the international
community as a test of this small ex-Soviet country’s commitment to
democratic reform.
Armenia has not held an election judged free and fair by Western
observers since gaining its independence with the collapse of the
Soviet Union.