Proposes Armen Martirosyan, a member of the National Assembly
– Why the establishment speaks of holding free and fair elections more than the opposition?
– Elections are expected and the Republic of Armenia also has a task to convince her Western partners that she is eager to make democratic reforms and the first and important step of those is holding normal, free and fair elections. And since the government will get financial resources and the establishment a bonus for continuing its rule only in case of making those changes, the establishment makes promises today to hold normal elections. However what has happened from the institutional perspective so far doesn’t fill me with optimism, I mean first of all that “A1+” hasn’t been reopened yet and fair elections cannot be guaranteed without propaganda means – “A1+” was making it possible. Secondly the changes made, I should say not made, to the Election Code that also make me think that the electoral fraud is related to the voting lists and thirdly the administrative resource that is used now as always very harshly. We saw how the Prime Minister was granting party-membership cards in the school, flagrantly violating the law. I think there is no need to speak of other violations, i.e. so-called charity.
– However the election approaches and everyone will see of what quality it is, but will you agree that no establishment has ever spoken so clearly and so much about the intention and necessity of holding a normal and fair election, why, on what purpose?
– Because they have the task to improve the country economically and to keep their power, and considering all this, they realize that they have taken on responsibilities, one of which or one of the most important is holding normal elections.
– During a meeting with Jonas Gahr Støre, first president Levon Ter-Petrossian said that all domestic problems in Armenia, including rigged elections, systemic corruption, the lack of democratic freedoms, independent judicial system and freedom of mass media are caused by the main problem, i.e. establishing the rule of law in Armenia. Do you agree that the reason for everything is not enforcing the law?
– The fact that laws are not enforced and the rule of law is not established is not this establishment’s fault – it was rooted long ago. Holding normal elections is in the framework of law, which, unfortunately, we haven’t seen since 1995, since Mr. Ter-Petrossian’s presidency. However, the recovery of the government system has to start somewhere and I think the main precondition for that recovery is forming government in the democratic manner. I think that the elections can be also included in the framework of non-enforced laws and it is very important to start strengthening the legality in Armenia with that.
– The political agenda today is set and implemented not by the opposition, as it probably should have been, but by the establishment – the establishment draws up action plan and carries it out and the opposition seems to be idle.
– I might agree with you in a way, but I have grounds not to agree with you completely. Don’t forget that the establishment has resources and where resources are there will be active shifts and events that draw big response. However, I don’t agree, because the opposition does its job. In order not to seem ungrounded, I will mention that a conference is taking place in Brussels these days , during which not only the Prime Minister of Armenia has spoken, not only the Head of the National Security Council has spoken, but also Raffi Hovhanissian, the leader of the Heritage Party has. The visit and the speech of Tigran Sargsyan was reported in detail both by the press and the TV companies, the same applies to Artur Baghdasaryan, nevertheless opposition representative, Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovhanissian’s speech was not mentioned by any mass media. So the problem is how they comment, because they can report on undone work, belly it and can make no mention of the done. This doesn’t mean that the opposition has or prepares no agenda, the Heritage Party, in particular has no such problem.
MARGARIT YESAYAN
