In an interview he gave me, Arman Tatoyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the “Wings of Unity” party, says that in the regions people approach him and say they support his political force—but if they publicly express that position, they will face problems. For example, if they have a business, even a small kiosk, the tax authorities will come and slap them with a hefty fine. The authorities quickly find out where people’s relatives work and what levers can be used against employees of state or state-affiliated institutions and their families.
After Tatoyan’s meeting with young people in Armavir, employees of the regional administration and the municipality downloaded photos of all participants from Facebook, identified them, and then went to their homes to intimidate them.
You might ask: wasn’t it like this before? My answer is: of course it was. Starting roughly from the 2000s, this has been the standard pre-election modus operandi of the authorities. One could call it pre-election “classics.” But first, in 2018, I and many others naively believed that the purpose of the revolution was to eliminate these “electoral technologies.” Second, members of the Civil Contract party have long surpassed the “former authorities” in their lawlessness, arbitrariness, terror, and repressions.
Are the European leaders who praise Pashinyan’s “democracy” and fight against the Russian “hybrid threat” unaware of all this? Of course they know perfectly well. It’s just that Pashinyan suits them—for now. At one time, Jean-Bédel Bokassa or Muammar Gaddafi suited France. But later, they became inconvenient. It would not even occur to me to accuse any European leader—they act in accordance with their own interests. Democracy and fair elections are something we need—the citizens of Armenia.
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…No matter whether we are a “satellite” of Russia or the EU—the behavior of those in power remains the same. What difference does it make who gives the “green light” to rig elections—Putin or Macron?
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
