STRAIN, STRAIN TO END…
By Hagop Avedikian
AZG Armenian Daily
26/10/2007
The first president’s strategy is becoming clear on the threshold
of coming presidential elections – to strain the inner situation,
to force the authorities to make consecutive mistakes and to have
the benefit of it.
In this situation Levon Ter-Petrosian feels fine, as after 10 years
of volunteer unemployment, he has probably missed Azatutyun (Freedom)
square, the mass meetings, lots of people, his own voice, selected
words and sharp qualifications.
For the second time he has a wide battlefield in front of him to
manifest all his abilities – a natural interest accumulated in 10
years, ears eager to listen about the change of the authorities,
and the most important thing – accumulation of injustice and
illegality, that doesn’t even need interference to turn into a
widespread dissatisfaction. And everything could be forgotten in that
widespread dissatisfaction – not only the achievements of the present
authorities, but also all the guilt of the previous authorities. The
slogan "to withdraw "these" (the word is taken from September 21 speech
of L. Ter-Petrosian) from the sphere" will be of a great importance
for many people.
Two opposite sides appear face-to-face in the field of electoral
campaign. The first is the government structures led by the Republican
Party and its leader, and the other side is the opposition gradually
gathering around L. Ter-Petrosian.
The first, of course, has big resources in its arsenal; we cannot
exclude also the involvement of a part of the opposition led by Vazgen
Manukian, even the ARF by means of haggling and compromises. But the
biggest priority of the Republic party will remain the unilateral use
of TV that like a boomerang gives an opportunity to Levon Ter-Petrosian
and his alliances to use the mass meeting forms of campaign, as those
are more heart-to-heart to ANM and its leader.
In this case, ANM and its leader get a nice opportunity to use the
violences of the security services against the authorities and its
candidate.
Consequently, on October 26 a process of straining the situation will
start in Azatutyan (Freedom) square, a new movement that unfortunately
will not turn into a factor of opposing the authorities, but it will
be a struggle for power. For … uncertainty.