YOU WANT A PROJECT? HERE YOU ARE!
Lragir.am
23 Aug 06
The Alliance of National Democrats led by Arshak Sadoyan published
a project August 23, which is intended to guarantee a transparent
and fair parliamentary election in 2007. Arshak Sadoyan says an
extremely dangerous situation has occurred in Armenia, threatening
the country’s future development. Sadoyan believes that not all the
pro-government forces but some of them are likely to forge the results
of the elections.
The leader of the Alliance of National Democrats announces that
the political forces and NGOs, who are worried about the country’s
future, should come together and come together to fight for fair
elections. Arshak Sadoyan says there may be assistance from the
international community since there were a number of tough statements
that "this time election fraud will not be forgiven".
And the Alliance of National Democrats has assumed the role of
prevention of electoral fraud. The project is ready, or the draft
project is ready, which will be edited during the roundup in early
September. In accordance with the project, Arshak Sadoyan proposes
four main activities to guarantee a fair election: publication of
ballots abroad, electronic vote, classes for the local observers,
proxies and candidates of members of election committees, held
independently from the government, propaganda of democratic values
and free and fair elections on TV and radio and in the press, as well
as public meetings including international figures for the government
to avoid using violence during these meetings. These activities are
included in the draft project of the Alliance of National Democrats.
Arshak Sadoyan says it is open for proposals by other political parties
and NGOs. If there are proposals, they will be adopted during the
hall meeting in September, to which representatives of international
organizations and embassies will be invited as well.
Arshak Sadoyan says the idea of the project was approved by the
foreigners with whom he discussed it. Among international organizations
the leader of the Alliance of National Democrats points to the OSCE,
the UN, USAID, the U.S. Embassy. The project was written with the
consideration of the embassy. Arshak Sadoyan has foreseen that the
activities of the project will be implemented on the 6.5 m dollars
that the United States earmarked for a fair election in 2007.
"We asked, well, what are you going to do, you are going to give the
money to the government, and they are going to give it to the police
to make the electoral register precise, etc, so you want to spend the
money this way. They said no. We asked how they are going to spend
it then. They said when you present a project, we will discuss it and
decide how. So we decided to work out this project after their answer,"
says Arshak Sadoyan. The project, he says, was presented to John Evans,
who remains the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.
By the extravagant calculations of Arshak Sadoyan, the project costs
maximum 2.5 m dollars. Sadoyan even suggests setting up a board of
trustees including foreigners who will control spending of the money
they will give.
"If the project is not adopted, we are going to appeal to the
international community, try to meet with the media, such as CNN,
the New York Times, etc. and ask if they are not pretending. We say
give 2.5 m out of 6.5 m dollars and control it to prevent fraud. We
say we are setting up a special board of trustees including your
representatives not to allow anyone to state that they are doing a
revolution on international money. You refuse? So? Either you want
to do a revolution secretly and you give the money or you give it to
the government to misappropriate it later," Arshak Sadoyan present
the plot of possible settling of accounts, in case the project is
rejected, of course.
Arshak Sadoyan is definitely worried by the approach of the opposition
towards this project. He says the aspirations of individuals do now
allow uniting around a common project, but he hopes that his project
will be an exception.