I have already written that I am not a resident of Yerevan and will not participate in the election to take place on Sunday. However, since this election is political – and it seems no one seriously argues with that – I want to express my position according to the tradition; if I had a right to vote, I would vote for the Armenian National Congress (ANC) list. It is not that I admire the activities of this party, formerly a coalition. As in almost all Armenian parties, there are elements of the Bolshevik inquisition and cult of personality here too. However, when a citizen turns out to vote, he should be guided not by some temporary, superficial things, but by principles and ideas. That is the very reason why I, as a citizen, had a liking for Bagratyan at the presidential election, and now for the ANC. It is not important who adheres to what “line” at this moment; those are tactical issues that can change. The essential thing is the path, which, regardless of all its mistakes and deviations, figures that come from this environment have chosen. And that path is the free market, democracy and pragmatism in national issues. As far as I can judge from interviews, the youths included in the ANC list also adhere to the same values. (I ascribe revolutionary rhetoric to the “childhood disease of leftism.”)
Who tops the list is also important. Vahagn Khachatryan proved to be a skillful manager and a person who is acutely aware of the economy in the difficult years for the city and the country. It is essential that he was elected President of the Yerevan City Council being nonpartisan and never engaged in political struggle with the ruling and opposition parties of the time (1992-1996) during his tenure. This is relevant today too; however much parties bash and discredit each other, there are issues and fields, where they are compelled to cooperate. Knowing Vahagn Khachatryan for 20 years, I haven’t heard him not only curse, but also personally insult anyone both in his public speeches and in private conversations. In that regard, young members of the ANC have much to learn from Mr. Khachatryan.
It is worth reminding that what I am writing here is my personal opinion that has nothing to do with either my journalistic activities or Aravot’s orientation. Journalism – I still claim that – cannot “belong” to any party and an information agency must keep a balance between all parties to the “conflict,” which we do. Furthermore, as far as I know, my relatives and friends both at home and at the office don’t share my personal civic preferences and prefer Raffi in both this and the previous election as a rule. I am not going to subject anyone to an inquisition. Long live pluralism!
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
