ALEXANDER ISKANDARIAN: ARMENIAN VOTER FOR FIRST TIME VOTED NOT WITH HIS HEART BUT WITH HIS MIND

Noyan Tapan
May 22 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The parliamentary elections held in
Armenia and the estimation given to them can have no impact on the
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Director of Caucasian Media
Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandarian expressed such
opinion at the May 22 press conference. At the same time, he said
that according to his observations, Azerbaijanis are very jealous
to positive estimations of international observers given to Armenian
elections.

In his words, there will be no serious progress in country’s foreign
policy until the presidential elections. As he affirmed, the foreign
policy will hardly ever change abruptly after the presidential
elections, either.

Touching upon fairness of the estimations given to the elections, the
political scientist said that the international observers evaluated
not country’s political culture or ways of influence upon voters,
but the proper technology of voting, and indeed progress has been
registered in this respect.

In A. Iskandarian’s opinion, during the past elections the Armenian
electorate for the first time made a rational choice voting not with
heart but with mind. In his words, the prevailing majority of voters
preferred to vote not for the political force or figure he sympathizes
with, but for the force which can solve this or that problem.

Answering journalists’ questions, A. Iskandarian said that unless
emergency is created, in all probability, Prime Minister Serge Sargsian
will become the next President of the country. And the opposition,
in his words, will not manage to do work necessary for winning the
elections during the time remaining until the presidential elections.