ARARAT ZURABIAN: MOST OF ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN RALLIES IN
1988 WILL GIVE THEIR VOTES FOR ARMENIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The purpose of the current ruling
regime in Armenia is its reproduction, while the opposition’s main
objective is not to allow such reproduction – be it in the version
of Vartan Oskanian or Serge Sargsian. Ararat Zurabian, Chairman of
the Armenian National Movement (ANM) Board, expressed this opinion
at a press conference on October 20. "I think that if in 2003 the
opposition had taken a more resolute steps, everything would have had
a normal outcome," he said. According to him, in order to participate
in the parliamentary elections, the party will try to form an alliance
with several political forces. He indicated the Republic Party and
the Liberal Progressive Party as possible allies. A. Zurabian said
that the ANM will not unite with the Aylntrank (Alternative) social
political initiative that has the same ideological principles. In his
words, there are no serious disagreements between the two bodies, but
some problems exist. That is why some members left the ANM and formed
the organization Armat later reorganized into Aylntrank. A. Zurabian
noted that the current authorities never received more than 10-15%
of votes at elections – the rest was added. According to him, at the
time when ANM was in power, elections were never rigged, and if such
a thing happened, it was done by people like the defence minister
Serge Sargsian and the prime minister Andranik Margarian who were
in power at that time too. As regards the current rating of ANM,
in A. Zurabian’s words, the party’s electorate are those who were
participating in rallies in 1988. Some of them who left Armenia or
changed their views will be replaced by those who did not yet have
the right to vote at that time. Noting that many people boycotted the
referendum on Constutitional amendments in response to the ANM’s calls,
A. Zurabian added: "I think that in Armenia there is an environment
where we have our votes."