The period of nominating candidates for the presidential election stands out this year for the abundance of registered candidates; even persons, who don’t have political experience, haven’t been known for their activities on the political stage, have announced their candidacies. www.aravot.am inquired during a conversation with human rights advocates whether it was acceptable that we had such a picture, as far as human rights were concerned, and whether the reason was that the election deposit was not very high or there were other reasons.
Vardan Harutyunyan, the head of the Center for Freedom and Rights, stated: “I cannot say anything with regard to the election deposit. If the law provides for it, it must be there. A little more, a little less or ten thousand dollars more, ten thousand dollars less doesn’t matter. It is important that presidential elections have become so cheap, the office of president has become so cheap that anyone can wake up and announce his candidacy for president and aspire to that office. It is caused by the qualities of people who assume that office. Society should treat the election with derision, think of it as a joke. People should understand that the office of president is not a joke; becoming president doesn’t mean becoming the head of the housing and communal services department. Even to become the head of the housing and communal services department, one doesn’t engage in such a cheap struggle as for the office of president. If there is a change of power, there are normal elections, and normal people come to power, the government institutions and the system of government will become more important too.”
Read also
Artak Zeynalyan, a member of the Republic Party political council and a human rights advocate, thinks that the abundance of candidates is normal and positive and states: “The election deposit is not small, moreover, it is too big for Armenia, where GDP is so low, for persons with such an income; it is too high an election deposit. As for whether one will execute his passive right to vote or not, whether one will announce his candidacy or not, it is not ours to decide. Other people are not to decide whether a person has political experience or not. The voting, when people will make their choice freely expressing their will, will decide whether his nomination is justified or not. One shouldn’t rule out that the so-called people without political experience may be elected president as a result of a free, fair and transparent election.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
