Boycott is not “playing into the hands” of Serzh Sargsyan’s government anymore
Significant events happened on the political stage yesterday. Serzh Sargsyan’s authorized representative, Seyran Yuzbashyan, submitted the necessary documentation for his nomination to the Central Election Commission (CEC). The Armenian National Congress (ANC) made a statement, which made it clear that the ANC, as well as the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), will not participate in the upcoming presidential election and will not endorse any candidate, even Hrant Bagratyan, an ANC MP.
The ANC explained its step in the following manner: “Rigging the 2008 presidential election and drowning the popular uprising against election fraud in blood, the Serzh Sargsyan regime has been destroying any possibility of democratic and competitive elections for the past 5 five years. Contrary to the lofty promises made to Armenian society and the international community, the 2009 Yerevan council election and the 2012 parliamentary election, as well as all kinds of local elections in that period, have been completely rigged.” The ANC asserted that there is a situation in the country, when “a criminal system of handing out bribes and voting more than once has been established at the state level and is supported by all government and law-enforcement bodies, as well as the ruling party,” and that “the main instrument of election fraud, the voter registration lists, is inflated with roughly 700 000 voters.” And since the government has stymied efforts of the ANC, the PAP, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and the Heritage Party in the National Assembly “to fundamentally change the electoral system and guarantee legitimate, transparent, free and fair elections, not taking into account the demands made by the international community, particularly the OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission, the mechanism of competitive elections has been destroyed, the businessmen supporting the opposition are terrorized, misappropriation of 500 to 700 thousand votes have made it absolutely impossible to change the government through elections,” the ANC deems meaningless to participate in elections, which have turned into farce, and endorse any nominated candidate, since it “will contribute to legitimization of the illegal regime.”
Firstly, it is interesting that “the Serzh Sargsyan regime” is the only addressee of the statement made by the ANC about the 2008 presidential election and “drowning the popular uprising against election fraud in blood.” As you can see, Robert Kocharyan is not mentioned, while talking about the 2008 presidential election.
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Anyway, on the one hand, perhaps, one of the most dangerous things for the state, the political stage – the government, the opposition and the society – is that Serzh Sargsyan is going to participate in the election without an influential opposition candidate. The consequences of this may really be rather serious for out state and people. It is not clear whether the government will show necessary prudence to realize what steps should be taken in the short-run, in order that Armenia is not identified with some Asian state.
On the other hand, one should also assert that the opposition has given ground too. The fact is that Gagik Tsarukyan and Levon Ter-Petrossian haven’t opposed Serzh Sargsyan’s government. It doesn’t matter whether this is a very deep strategic and tactical calculation or a sober realization of the current stalemate; it is obvious that Serzh Sargsyan will not have an influential rival in the presidential election, who could impede him, unless, of course, Robert Kocharyan unexpectedly decides to announce his candidacy.
However, one must note that the PAP and the ANC participated in the National Assembly election only a few months ago, when Armenia was facing the same problems the opposition talks about today, and didn’t reject the parliamentary offices won as a result of a “rigged election,” as they put it.
Moreover, before the well-known decision of the PAP, those who supported the boycott of the election had been severely criticized by the ANC supporters, who had said that they “are playing in the hands” of Serzh Sargsyan’s government. And today, the PAP and the ANC basically boycott the presidential election.
It is hard to say what this boycott can achieve, what those forces will gain from it. However, one thing is doubtless; the boycott is not the most efficient way of consolidating the opposition to “topple the regime.”
EMMA GABRIELYAN
