Atmosphere of distrust and fear to elections hit Armenian society:
Heritage secretary general
YEREVAN, February 15. /ARKA/. Atmosphere of distrust and fear around
the elections hit Armenian society, Secretary General of Heritage
party Stepa Safaryan said on Friday in Yerevan.
`The election campaign showed the trust of the population to the
presidential elections has shrunk. Many people don’t believe the
leading forces can change in the country after the elections, and it
is not a secret, there are rumors that it makes no sense to
participate in the elections as everything has already been
predetermined,’ Safaryan said summing up the campaign outcomes.
According to him, a number of political forces, including the Armenian
National Congress, Prosperous Armenia party and ARF Dashnaktsutyun
just proved the situation of distrust existed when they refused
nominating anyone to run the election race.
Besides distrust, something else was gradually brought-up in the
Armenian society – fear. Particularly, it became vivid after an
assassination attempt was made on Paruyr Hayrikyan, a presidential
candidate and a leader of Union for National Self-Determination party.
Hayrikyan was shot to shoulder in Yerevan on January 31 and had a
successful surgery on the same day.
`After that, at least everyone started thinking it is dangerous for
life to conduct political activity in our country,’ he noted.
Presidential elections of Armenia are scheduled for February 18.
The following candidates will be leading the race: current president
Serzh Sargsyan, former prime minister and leader of Freedom party
Hrant Bagratyan, former foreign minister and head of Heritage party
Raffi Hovannisian, famous Soviet dissident and leader of National
Self-Determination party Paruyr Hayrikyan, former foreign minister of
Nagorno-Karabakh Arman Melikyan, political scientist and head of Radio
Hay Andrias Ghukasyan, philologist Vardan Sedrakyan. -0-