70% OF ARMENIA’S SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ARE RPA MEMBERS
tert.am
04.05.12
Armenia’s authorities are subjecting voters to double discrimination,
chairman of ‘Asbarez’ journalist club Levon Barseghyan told a news
conference today.
‘The Armenian authorities have deprived about 600-700 thousand people
living abroad of the voting right in diplomatic representations,
but the employees of the same representations do have right to vote,’
he said.
Barseghyan said his survey among the school principals revealed that
the majority of them are party members. ‘A teacher must just have a
voting right. He/she should not participate in a campaign. About 70%
of teachers and principals are members of the Republican Party of
Armenia,’ the right advocate said.
‘Thirty-two out of 42 schools in Gyumri are RPA members. One of the
principal in Abovian is from PAP, there is no need even to ask the
others,’ Barseghyan said.
Avetik Ishkhanyan, chairman of Armenia’s Helsinki Committee, noted
that he is more concerned with the fear of people to voice about
illegalities.
‘People are informing us but ask not to give their names. One of the
opposition members of an electoral constituency said he refused to do
the job because of a pressure on his relatives. Employees of Yerevan
City supermarket are forced to guarantee voters,’ Ishkhanyan said.
The later said violations are registered outside of polling stations.
‘One should just go 50 meters away the polling station and see how
election bribes are being distributed,’ chairman of the Helsinki
committee said.
Levon Barseghayn added that people in Gyumri are warned not go to
polls until cars arrive and take them to polling stations.