The results of the poll conducted by Baltic Surveys /The Gallup Organization among the members of Armenian society, during which a question was asked, “Which candidate will you vote for in the 2013 presidential election?” are the following: 49% of voters will vote for Serzh Sargsyan, 21% for Gagik Tsarukyan, 6% for Levon Ter-Petrossian, 5% for Raffi Hovhannisyan, another 5% for Robert Kocharyan, 3% for Vahan Hovhannisyan, and the undecided accounted for 9%.
Representatives of different political forces expressed skepticism about the results during a conversation with www.aravot.am. Gurgen Yeghiazaryan, a member of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), stated: “I trust Gallup no more than any Lie-bekyan. The Republic of Armenia is a country, where no international law is enforced. These organizations come, from their perspective, to a wild country, where they commit different crimes under different names. One of their branches is companies like Gallup. They come here for guest work. Armenia is the best country to make money. There is a fairy tale about that – the Buratino tale. The story about seeding gold in the country of fools. They come to a third-world country, a virgin land, get their money, get the hell out of here and go to their democratic countries.”
Mr. Yeghiazaryan made comparisons with Egypt, where citizens sell their votes for one kilogram of sugar. In this context, Mr. Yeghiazaryan stated: “According to Gallup’s data, Serzh Sargsyan got the majority of votes. Under conditions of 35%-40% poverty rate, which actually is 60%-70%, under conditions of this emigration, poorness, to begin with, Serzh Sargsyan’s relatives don’t give a damn about the law, so one can realize why Gallup gives them the majority of votes. This is just deception and corruption.”
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Armen Martirosyan, the deputy leader of the Heritage Party, doesn’t believe Gallup’s data either. He stated: “It is not the US Gallup, this has nothing to do with it. I don’t trust those numbers, since those numbers cannot be real, knowing the public sentiment. I know that we are a unique nation, but I don’t accept that we are such a unique country and have Masochist sentiment, as the poll shows. How will Gallup’s specialists explain that under conditions of growing poverty, such a society trusts and supports its incumbent president? If they explain and prove the phenomenon that Armenians are Masochists, I will apologize. However, I am convinced that Armenians are normal, mentally balanced people.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
