There is good news and bad news. As of tomorrow, the days will be warmer, and as of Monday, the election campaign will start. However, it is a consolation that the campaign will last only one month, and the spring’s arrival, they say, is irreversible, and victory is unavoidable. Against this optimistic background, there is nothing else left to do, but not to take election PR and anti-PR actions too hard, particularly given the fact that those will be taken without usual aggressiveness. So neither those who threatened the president with the fate of Ceausescu or Gaddafi, nor those who would nail those who destabilize the situation and shake the boat to the pillory will participate in the election.
This peace allows firstly paying closer attention to the proposals that are made by candidates for president – for the moment, in my opinion, Hrant Bagratyan’s proposals seem to be worth most attention – secondly urging our political forces to address social problems. And those, in my opinion, are related not only to social troubles, but also to freedom and justice. Those issues are supra-partisan and have nothing to do with the struggle for power and the election itself. The election is just an opportunity to raise them. Let me give you an example; all citizens of Armenia should be interested in not having political prisoners in our country. It is not just the Armenian National Congress (ANC) business, and political forces, politicians participating in the election, regardless of whether they agree with the ANC or not, should raise the issue of Tigran Arakelyan during their rallies, in their speeches, interviews etc. Thus, they will be closer to the civic struggle, will be useful to society and will be liked by society.
Yesterday another demonstration in support of Tigran Arakelyan took place. Let me remind that this is the young man who moved his head abruptly as a result of which a police officer’s nose started to bleed. Although that police officer deserves sympathy, the punishment Tigran serves (6 years) is quite inadequate to the deed and is of obvious political nature. Fortunately, there were quite many demonstrators yesterday. However, I think there should be 10-, 100-times more people. Not only to set that young man free, but also to ensure that nothing like this will happen again. So that the next government resisted the temptation to persecute people for being politically active and then state that it is just a prosecution. As it is said now, was said when all the former governments were in power and is said in all countries like ours.
Aram Abrahamyan
