THIS WAS A CRIMINAL IRRESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE STATE
Interview By Siranush Papyan
LRAGIR.AM
13:59:01 – 05/06/2009
Interview with the ARF Dashnaktsutyun candidate for Mayor Artsvik
Minasyan
-Before the election of the Yerevan Elders’ Council, the
representatives of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun assured people, that the
party has a great potential to control the election for breaches not
to take place. Nevertheless, many electoral frauds took place. What
electoral frauds did you register and why did not you manage to resist
having great potential?
-That is true. We made all our organizational efforts to be able to
struggle against electoral breaches. Our efforts did not give results
due to several reasons: first, unlike other elections, during this
one, the breaches were coordinated, and replacing one another, they
managed to work the biggest machine of frauds. Second, at least the
75 percent of the breaches had a latent character, in other words they
were hidden. If we compare this election to the previous one, when the
breaches took place inside the polling stations, this time the great
part of the breaches took place out of the polling stations. People
were determined when coming to vote, but this determination was not
reasoned by their stances. I think this is a real challenge for all
of us.
-Nevertheless, did the ARF Dashnaktsutyun registered concrete frauds
and will the party appeal to the Central Electoral Commission?
-I mentioned that the great part of the breaches were of latent
character, which are very difficult and even impossible from the
legal point of view. For example, when people were transported to
the polling stations in cars, at first sight, there seem to be no
breach of law from legal point of view. From this point of view, we
do not have any registration of breaches, but we have registrations
of breaches of local character, in particular, double voting, but
they cannot serve the ground to declare the election invalid. Our
political assessment of this election is that this was a criminal
irresponsibility towards the public, state, our future generations,
we are not going to reconcile with this thought and will form our
further agenda. Our main aim is to appeal to the Central Electoral
Commission or to the Constitutional Court.
-What do you have on your upcoming agenda?
-There are no elections in the forthcoming three years and we have to
be able to work with the society. In my personal opinion, the Armenian
society is not ready for a change of government the responsible of
which are all of us. When you meet people, who insult the government
for worsening their lives, but when the time comes to change the same
government, they go to the election and vote for the governmental
candidate for money, this means that the members of the society do
not realize their own well-being and that of the whole society. I
think that all the political parties, which are interested in this
question, would have one aim to carry out work among the public in
this connection.
This arouses other questions, the main of which is the active
participation of the opposition in the government of the state. I think
that the work with the European bodies in this connection should be
enhanced and promoted. The opposition should really have a tangible
influence on the government. The second is that we have to realize that
the government formed in the streets cannot secure the fulfillment of
national wishes. The third is the work with our society. After all,
members of the Armenian society must realize the value of their vote.
– In an interview to Lragir.am, the Republican press speaker
Eduard Sharmazanov, dwelling on the fact that the OYP and the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun did not pass the limit of 7 percent, stated that it
is connected with the change of candidates. In other words, in case
the candidate was Vahan Hovhanisyan the figures would be others.
-I don’t know what Sharmazanov meant by saying this. There is no
problem. Vahan Hovhanisyan and the whole party was with me. It is not
me who has to asses myself, it is the party who gave the assessment
and the public. I thank all those people, who voted for our party. As
many people dwell on the fact that the Dashnaktsutyun did not get
many votes, I think that this is a challenge and I, as a young
political figure, think that it is very important to perceive right
the challenges, involving all the sober forces, especially youths.
The fact that the party decided to promote my candidature, was not
my initiative or my whish, but that of the party, and I, as a party
member, had to obey their decision. As a young political figure,
I decided to use new electoral culture in this election I mean new
agitation methods: direct meetings with people and debates with
political figures. I did not have any response in case of the second
part, which proves the political weakness of our candidates.
If the Republican Party stated that it will give the function of
controlling the Yerevan Elders’ Council to the HAK as opposition,
I think that the HAK would agree to work there.
– Was the HAK right to refuse the mandates?
– In my person opinion, it did right as there was no alternative.
– Before the election, the Dashnaktsutyun became opposition, did it
help or hinder you?
– It is obvious that when a force leaves the government and becomes
opposition, it needs much time and great work to become opposition
and to let the public realize it. And it is not a question of one or
two months. From this point of view, it hindered us. I’m sure that
the public will see a new more powerful Dashnaktsutyun within the
forthcoming months.
On the other hand, this political attitude, gives you more possibility
to act freer. While, being in the coalition, your coalition forces do
not hinder you. While in opposition, they will not only hinder you,
but also will try to create obstacles. This election did not differ
from the others from this point of view.
The statements that this was an imitation, and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
cannot be real opposition, brought about the decrease of the
Dashnaktsutyun votes. I understand when these statements are made by
the governmental camp, but it comes out that the oppositional camps
struggle one with the other to seize votes form each other. Different
oppositional fields tried to harm us during the agitation, which I
assess as steps of weakening.
-Has the opposition weakened?
-It has After all, both of the HAK and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
registered votes, which are fewer than they did at the presidential
election. This proves that both of the forces have much to do. This
is the reason why I state that the work with the public must be on
the upcoming agenda. If we don’t manage to do it, this will mean that
we don’t have anything else to do.
The fact that there are people in the two oppositional fields, who
have personal hatred against each other, should not bring about hatred
between the political forces themselves. My personal opinion is that
the HAK will re-form its rows one day.