Yesterday, the Heritage Party announced its candidates for the local elections to be held in the Syunik, Ararat, Armavir, Shirak and Lori regions on September 9. According to the statement made by the party, the Heritage Party also expressed its support for candidates representing the other opposition parties. www.aravot.am inquired of Ruben Hakobyan, the leader of the Heritage Party National Assembly group, why the Heritage Party didn’t have its own candidate for the mayor of Gyumri. Mr. Hakobyan responded, “We stick to the approach that the opposition should have one candidate in every constituency. In case of Gyumri, it has worked. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has announced its candidate and according to our principle, we have decided to endorse the ARF candidate.” In response to our next question based on what principles the candidates announced by the Heritage Party had been chosen, R. Hakobyan stated, “We have picked the basis that the man is famous, accepted by the society and has a normal biography and a moral background. Our candidate in Talin, Tigran Sargsyan, has those qualities and was chosen. Therefore, in this sense, we pay attention not to the quantity, but to the quality.” www.aravot.am inquired what mechanisms the party would employ in the local elections. The parliamentary group leader responded, “What was used in the National Assembly election will be carried out insofar as it can be carried out. The whole organization will support both its candidates and the candidates endorsed by it as much as it can.”
In response to our question whether there were prerequisites that these elections would be held at least comparatively fairly, Mr. Hakobyan said the following, “Local elections are not political, rather, they are elections that arouse local sensation and emotions. Rather, they are localized elections with local specificities. The election can be held fairly insofar as there is clan supervision. I have been to several villages, where it is hard to commit fraud to such an extent, since everyone knows everyone and they know how many people, how many cats etc. there are in the village. Therefore, local elections are guided mainly by principles of brotherhood and clan.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
