Our cameras recorded numerous cases of open voting in the 7/46 polling station of Malatia-Sebastia District. After voting, the voters show the ballot-paper to the committee, sitting next to the ballot box, especially, to the committee member of “Armenian Renaissance” party Arayik Gevorgyan.
And when one voter gave an open ballot-paper to the commission, he, instead of explaining, he, the order and again sending the voter to the ballot box, put the envelope into the ballot-paper and cast it into the ballot box instead of the voter.
We drew the Committee’s attention; he rebuked the voter asking whether it was the first time that he voted, why he voted open. The elderly man assured it was the first time in his life that he voted.
The Armenian Renaissance committee member justified him saying, “He must be confused.” The authorized member of “Yelq” intervened. He began to quarrel. Committee Chairman tried to solve the problem, “Don’t put the envelope into the ballot-paper yourself, warn them to do it there and by themselves.”
“Hey, everything happens, it’s not a big deal”, the Armenian Renaissance member was responding.
We asked Arayik Gevorgyan, why people was showing their ballot-papers especially him. He got very angry and said that we are fitting him up. He got up, began to shake his hands, shout and threaten, “If you were a boy, I would smash your mouth and then you would know with whom you are talking”.
He continued to shout,” If you were a boy, I would say a word…”.
Later, when we wanted to find out details about the commission, he began to threaten again, “Even don’t think to write any nonsense; I will write a kind of things, which will be too difficult to digest.You know, right? Be careful!”
When we urged not to threaten, he began to offend, “You are a very illiterate journalist, I tell you. You are going to response for your words, dear.”
When we warned that we were the media representatives, and we might subject him to the administrative punishment for his bad behavior, he continued to shout, “Don’t make me afraid from your media. You said that people showed me their open ballot-papers. So you are going to response for your words. We also have TV company. Pet! ”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
