Heritage Party leader Raffi K. Hovannisian today sent a formal letter to Serzh Sargsyan, president of theRepublicofArmeniaand chairman of the Republican Party. The text reads:
“In order to realize in essence your stated commitment to hold free and fair elections, we find imperative and hence propose the immediate implementation of the following measures.
a) Your and all other incumbent high-level officials’ resignation from the chairmanship of, and other relevant positions on, the boards of trustees of institutions of higher education.
b) Depoliticization of university student councils and guarantee of equal access of all political forces to university student bodies.
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c) Removal of all of your party offices which are currently located in city halls, village and community prefectures, cultural centers and other public premises, or else provision of the same terms and conditions for their use to other political parties.
d) Removal of your or any other party’s emblem, sign, poster or name reference from city halls, village and community prefectures, cultural centers, universities, schools, and all other public buildings and spaces.
e) Depoliticization of the public school system—from principals to premises—ruling out any political activity on school grounds, with the exception of programs that are aimed at the civic enlightenment of students and ensure multi-partisan, equal opportunities for communication. The same applies to health care and all other public domains.
f) Your own abstinence from party activity at the seat of the presidency.
g) Ruling out of state budgetary allocations for the unilateral or ultimate use of individual parties—whether direct allotments for airplanes, hotel expenses, per diems, receptions or other representational costs, or indirect allotments made through various foundations, centers, or other projects.
h) Ruling out of any activity, sometimes obviously coordinated, of law enforcement agencies, security services, governors and your party’s representatives which is aimed at restricting the constitutional rights of the Republic’s citizens and imposing an anti-civil atmosphere of fear and servility.
i) Ruling out of election-related pressure, threats and even their intimation posed directly or indirectly from any source upon any civil servant, including city halls (and mayors), village and community prefectures (and prefects), and all other public institutions (and public sector employees).
j) Guarantee of legally equal conditions for competition, including in terms of party and campaign finance, at the same time ruling out the partisan abuse of “administrative resources.”
k) Equal access for all parties to television, radio and other media outlets, including the matter of advertisement signs and billboards.
l) Abstinence by your or any other party from “philanthropy” carried out for partisan or propaganda purposes, regardless of its form, substance and appellation.
m) Ruling out of the base abuse of our soldiers—the pride of our nation—in pre-election and election processes.
n) Ruling out of political manipulation of the Church or even the impression of party affiliation.
o) Adoption of a completely proportional electoral system, acceptance of the demand to mark with ink the fingers of citizens actually voting, post-election publication of the list of citizens actually having voted, and identification and strictest punishment of all violators of the law regardless of their official capacities or party positions.
We thank you for your attention to these issues.”