We express bewilderment over the November 26 response of incumbent Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan to Raffi Hovannisian’s official letter dating November 21 and assess the response as a segmental and state-disreputable attack towards Raffi Hovannisian – the person and first Foreign Minister of Armenia, towards “Heritage” and the entire opposition, towards Armenian society and common citizen in general.
If in its statement from November 25 the Republican party had noted “it’s necessary to refrain from attempts of absolutizing the authorities’ political commitments, as they have reasonable frames”, then via his November 26 response the Head of Republican party and acting president Serzh Sargsyan revealed these “frames”. According to it the conduct of free, fair and competitive elections or any demand or offer aimed to its realization breaks the “allowed lines”, claiming to be assessed as blackening, disparaging, poisoning action pursuing malice intentions.
While voicing his appraisal the acting president had to acknowledge at least that Raffi Hovannisian’s letter was a generality of concrete offers revealed in 15 items and not a statement at all, and that the offers aimed to bring into real action the commitment of holding free and fair elections declared by authorities – still Serzh Sargsyan either hasn’t realized or falsifies it.
That kind of conduct and assessments isn’t compatible with status of leader of the country. That kind of response shows that Armenian authorities do not refuse and aren’t going to refrain from vicious practices of exploiting the administrative resources, establishing party monopolies towards public and state capabilities, provision of unequal competing conditions, compelling civil and public officers, fraud of election process through majoritarian vote, manipulations with voters’ lists, engaging the army and church into politics.
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Exactly these vicious methods of authorities for holding elections along 16 years continuously had blackened and disparaged the country’s reputation, led to national revolt and bloodshed. We are deeply concerned that the president assesses 2008 presidential elections positively and claims it as mainly meeting the international standards – that suggests we may have another March 1.
The incumbent president has also to realize that such political rhetoric escorted with “elections” conducted in said manner opens the shortest way to new inter-society intolerance. Therefore the instant of sobriety relates to everyone and foremost to acting president.
If Serzh Sargsyan has made a mistake or omittance or distracted from presidential style and essence – it could happen as well – he still may correct the mistake and instead of absurd and meaningless attacks admit the truthfulness of vast majority of Raffi Hovannisian’s letter’s items. He must take steps for instant resolving of problems, for making the elections acceptable to all and securing at last de jure results of elections inRepublicofArmenia.
Board of Heritage party
November 28, 2011