ARE THE EXPENSES MADE BY SERZH SARGSYAN DURING THE CAMPAIGN JUSTIFIED?
January 25 2013
According to a Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP, Serzh Sargsyan’s
posters and ad testify to his sense of responsibility
Taking into account the fact that Serzh Sargsyan is a candidate
who “will win, has won,” as members of the RPA always like to say,
what was the point in spending so much money on preparing an ad,
posters and spreading them? Hovhannes Sahakyan, an RPA MP, said in
response to this question of today: “It is caused by the
political team’s and the given candidate’s sense of responsibility,
whether one feels responsible for communicating with one’s people
during the election campaign, i.e. presenting his programs in detail,
not following the principle ‘We have won.’ Shall we do nothing? Shall
we do a couple of things resembling a campaign and move on? No. We
have a different opinion. Since we, as the ruling political team,
and President Sargsyan, as a candidate for president and the incumbent
president, as a man who was actively involved in the struggle for our
state’s independence and in the Artsakh conflict, has always stood
out for his consistency, his adherence to principles. That step is one
of the elements; it is a proof that nothing is neglected. Certainly,
there are people among our rivals who are worth respect, but the
expert opinion is that our chances to win are high.”
Hovhannes Sahakyan didn’t know how much money was spent on Serzh
Sargsyan’s ad in which there were scenes shot from a helicopter and
representatives of Armenian show business. According to the RPA MP,
that campaign ad aimed at cheering up.
As for saying, “The candidate who has won,” Hovhannes Sahakyan said:
“I would avoid saying that he is the candidate who has won, because the
people make the final choice. Certainly, our chances are rather high,
but saying that he is the candidate who has won, period, is not right.”
Artak Davtyan, another RPA MP, described the president’s campaign ad
as “good” when we inquired of him whether he liked it or not. “The ad
is within the limits provided for by the law. I don’t agree that some
big sum of money has been spent by Serzh Sargsyan,” Mr. Davtyan said.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN