Campaigning is prohibited on Saturday. Although the concept of a “day of silence” feels outdated and largely unenforceable in the age of social media, I am a law-abiding citizen who respects the state, and I intend to comply with this “archaic” rule. Accordingly, my next editorial will not touch on election-related topics.
That means this column serves as a summary of my thoughts ahead of the vote.
My conclusion concerns the honor, rights, and responsibilities that come with being a citizen of Armenia.
Incidentally, I believe Armenian citizens who live, work, or study abroad should retain the right to vote in Armenian elections. If they have kept their Armenian citizenship, they have also maintained their ties to the homeland. That suggests they still care about the country’s future.
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Standing for office is a different matter. In that regard, the legal requirement is entirely reasonable: those seeking elected office should hold only Armenian citizenship.
I want us to be good citizens.
What do I mean by that?
Something very simple. On June 7, people should set aside their usual Sunday routines—or their inactivity—put down their phones, stop endlessly scrolling through social media, leave their homes, and go to the polling station.
Those who say they are tired, disgusted, disillusioned, trust no one, have no interest in politics, and therefore will not vote are, in my view, bad citizens.
We should not forget that the right to vote is, in some sense, also a citizen’s responsibility. Refusing to vote and then spending the next five years complaining about life is hardly the best approach.
Those who are misled, confused, consumed by hatred, or motivated by particular interests, and who nevertheless go out and vote for Civil Contract or its satellite parties, are still better citizens than those who stay at home.
Good citizens are those who vote for any opposition force, regardless of whether it is expected to win enough votes to enter parliament. I have never found arguments about “wasted votes” particularly convincing. People make choices based on their principles and convictions, and that deserves respect.
And finally, exemplary citizens are those who identify the candidate or political force with the best chance of defeating Pashinyan and cast their vote accordingly.
I am convinced that a citizen’s foremost objective today should be to bring an end to Pashinyan’s rule. Everything else is secondary.
But above all—and I repeat this once again—the most important thing is to participate in the election, regardless of one’s political views.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
