STEPAN ZAKARIAN: "IN CASE OF ABSENCE OF POLITICAL WILL, PERFECT LAW NOT TO HELP FEAR HOLDING OF ELECTIONS"

Noyan Tapan
Feb 20 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. A rather serious progress was fixed
in the affair of preventing the electoral breaches by the amendments
made to the RA Electoral Code. Gagik Minasian, a member of the
National Assembly RPA faction expressed such a viewpoint during the
debate organized on February 20, in which Stepan Zakarian, a member
of the parliamentary "Ardaroutiun" (Justice) faction participated. In
G.Minasian’s words, the law was considerably reformed and "adapted
to the Armenian people’s mentality."

S.Zakarian in his turn mentioned that the first precondition for
holding fear elections is presence of the ruling forces’ political
will but not the people’s mentality or perfect laws which "do not have
an essential role here." He also reminded the estimations given to
the Armenian elections by athoritative international organizations,
according to which, no election, held in the country after the
independence, was democratic, free and fear.

S.Zakarian mentioned that 80 thousand drams (about 230 U.S. dollars)
fixed by the Public Television for one minute of pre-electoral
propaganda is a blow for the opposition having scanty financial
resources. In his words, numerous businessmen would like to financially
assist opposing parties, but they know that in the case of not hiding
their political sympathy, they will have problems with the authorities.