ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN KEEPS TRADITIONS AND SECRETS
Lragir.am
29 Aug 06
Hrair Karapetyan, the leader of the parliamentary faction of the ARF,
announced August 29 at the Pastark Club that the tenth general meeting
of the ARF will take place on September 7, which will outline the
manner and purpose of participation of ARF in the election.
Although today it is already clear that "the ARF runs in the
elections alone". As it became clear from the following words of
the ARF representative, besides being a century-old and traditional,
the ARF is also reticent as usual. The opening of the General Meeting
of the ARF will take place at the hall of the government and will be
open for everyone, whereas the meeting itself will be confidential.
Hrair Karapetyan did not know where the meeting will take place, but
he noted, "Since the resolutions, circulars of the General Meeting
are published, it is pointless to speak about confidentiality."
Besides, the ARF is not only reticent but also conformist. The ARF
is for a 100 percent proportional system. Hrair Karapetyan announced
that if as a result of a political arrangemeent 90 seats are elected
under the proportional and 41 seats are elected under the majority
system in 2007, the ARF will consider it a progressive step compared
with the present 47/56 proportion. And if the proportion set down
in the Electoral Code remains, ARF will agree to it and hope that
eventually in 2012 there will be a 100 percent proportional system in
Armenia. And the race of political rats determined by the developments
connected with the Republican Party and Bargavach Hayastan does not
worry ARF. "In fact, there is a process of moving from one party to
another, but even in the years when our friends were in prison, and
the party was banished, not a single member quit the ARF." It became
clear that it is very difficult to become member of the ARF. "It is
difficult to become a member.
Mass membership is impossible. Only one out of 20-30-40 applications
are accepted." In addition, "Our electorate is sustainable." At
the same time, Hrair Karapetyan states that the ARF gets more
votes at every election, and he is hopeful that this tendency will
continue. "Unfortunately, however, in voting people do not take into
consideration the age of the political party, and the influence of
the Soviet anti-Dashnaktsutyun campaign persists.
People do not trust the ARF." Hrair Karapetyan thinks that now the
true history is taught at schools and the time will come when the
ARF will be evaluated duly.
The chair of the parliamentary faction of the ARF, likely to run
in the election alone, notes that there are political parties whose
programs have a number of points in common with the program of the
ARF, and cooperation with these parties is not only possible but also
inevitable. The struggle inside the government is also inevitable
and natural, which will become tenser as the elections draw nearer,
says the ARF representative.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
