EcoLur
The short election period has finished. For the first time in the presidential elections in Armenia we didn’t see a single protest demonstration organized by opposition candidates. Meetings and protests did take place almost every day. The Civil Society replaced politicians. Certainly there was some protest by the presidential candiates, but it didn’t appear in the form of rallies.
From the launch of the election race launched on 21 January presidential candidate Andreas Ghukasyan announced a hunger strike under the slogan of “Against fake elections”. At first the hunger strike was accepted ironically, but already in the fourth week even ill willers kept silent: if you want to mock, sit on hunger strike under snow and rain. Andreas Ghukasyan didn’t hold any rallies.
Presidential candidate Arman Melikyan announced his protest via his non-participation in the election campaign and stated he himself won’t take part in the elections. Presidential candidate Vardan Sedrakyan was the host of TV talk shows, where you can make an idea about himself, but not his electorate.
Even assassination attempt to presidential candidate Union for National Self-Determination Chairman Paruyr Hayrikyan didn’t serve a cause for holding a rally either by candidate supporters or, moreover, by other political forces.
Three presidential candidates held meeting: incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan, “Heritage” faction candidate Raffi Hovhannisian and “Liberty” Faction candidate Hrant Bagratyan. Naturally both Raffi Hovhannian and Hrant Bagratyan set their programs against Serzh Sargsyan’s program. Their meetings can hardly be called as protests, especially if to remember the opposition rallies during the presidential elections in 1996, 2003 and particularly 2008.
The peculiarity of these elections is that Civi society replaced politicians. “Events” section of Facebook social network was full of with announcements, particularly “green” social groups were active. “Dalma-Sona” Fund, which opposes to the site development of Dalma Gardens, launched a series of protests immediately after the start of the election race on 21 January. On 24 January “green” civic initiatives supported Nor Nork residents, who opposed to the construction of a stone-cutting plant. On 25 January a protest demonstration “No to Cyanide in Meghradzor” was held in the front of the presidential seat and civic society representatives – “Pan-Armenian Environmental Front”, “Teghout Support”, and “Trchkan”. On 7 February a protest demonstration “No Regime” was held with the active participation of “green” activists. On 11 February a protest demonstration was held against the destruction of AOKS historical-cultural building held by “Teghout Support”. On 13 February a protest demonstration was held against the lease of Syunik pastures to Province of East Azerbaijan of IRI. The protest demonstration was interspersed with a number of events, forums, meetings, round tables, conferences. They are conscious of their civic rights and liberties and put forward their demands and you can’t play demagogic games with them. If they play these games, they lose them, as it happened with the announcement of well-paid working places, as if existing in Yerevan Municipality. All this leaves place for optimism.
February 18, 2013 at 13:19