David Stepanyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
The results of the parliamentary elections in Armenia surprised nobody in Armenia. The election campaign created an atmosphere in which administrative resources were working actively and accompanied encouragements and threats. Citizens were forced to participate in demonstrations in favor of the ruling party in order to listen to election slogans of Republican Party of Armenia voiced by President Serge Sargsyan.
People were forced to come, but nobody could resist the process, including three parties’ United Election Headquarters, that stated their political will and readiness to resist falsifications. Only words – no action, while the process was rather open. On election day citizens and observers saw how people were taken to polling stations in the same way they were forced to take part in demonstrations. Republicans showed their special love for disabled people, whom they carried to ballot stations in expensive cars. So the result of the elections was predetermined due to administrative resource, rather than money. The coalition party Prosperous Armenia loudly stated in the United Headquarters about its resolution to resist bribery, but right after the session the headquarters went to regions and gave bribes to citizens. The results of the elections were determined by two forces which formed a similarly apolitical atmosphere.
Due to their work, the RPA won the elections with 44.02% of the votes, with second place taken by Prosperous Armenia (30.12%) and the Armenian National Congress gaining 7.08%. As the Republicans have an absolute majority in the parliament, they don’t need to form a new coalition to compose the government. However, in February 2013 the presidential elections will take place, and Serge Sargsyan needs the support of PA at least. That is why the intrigue of the future government is still fresh.
The other forces who entered the parliament face only one problem – to accept or to reject their mandates. If they accept their mandates, they will have to end their political careers and show society that they are anti-constitutional unities similar to the pro-government parties. Rejection of the election results is the only way to justify their participation in power games. But that is ridiculous. The point is not whether international observers will recognize the elections as legitimate or not. The West will recognize them as legitimate if the Armenian parties do so. If the Armenian parties reject their mandates, international observers won’t recognize the elections as legitimate. However, there is no hope these parties will reject their mandates. At the moment only the leader of the ANC, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and the leader of the party Republic, Aram Sarkisyan, have done so, because Ter-Petrosyan intends to participate in the presidential elections in 2013, while Sarkisyan wants to leave the ANC coalition and join PA.
In general, the results of the elections show that the Armenian society hasn’t come to any conclusions and hasn’t learned anything from the events of recent years, especially March 1st 2008. The problem is not in society itself, but in its orientation towards political forces. Six parties got into the parliament, but society cannot rely on them. In Armenia political parties do not solve any fundamental problems.
The only relief in the current situation are the 53 thousand ballots declared invalid and purposely spoiled. These 53 thousand citizens still hope for sobriety in Armenian society. These 53 thousand voters saw that they are being cheated. And it makes us hope for changes in the social mentality and changes in the country.
