"IF RPA CARRIES OUT MODERATE AND CLEVER ELECTION CAMPAIGN, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WILL END IN ONE TOUR," AHARON ADIBEKIAN CONSIDERS
Noyan Tapan
Dec 19 2007
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. If the Republican Party of Armenia
carries out a moderate and clever election campaign, the presidential
elections will end in one tour. Aharon Adibekian, the Director of
the Sociometer sociological center, stated at the December 18 press
conference.
He said that the rating of RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsian nominated
as a candidate for presidency by RPA has abruptly risen from the
beginning of the year, therefore, the latter has a psychological
advantage to the other candidates. In A. Adibekian’s words, according
to the results of a survey held in January, 7.7% voters would vote
for S. Sargsian in the presidential elections, 25% would not vote for
him, and 33% expressed confidence that he will be elected without
fail. According to the results of a survey held in October, these
indices made 27.2%, 9.4%, and 48%, respectively.
A. Adibekian said that in these months Raffi Hovannisian was in the
second place with his rating as a probable candidate for presidency:
according to the results of a survey held in January, 10.5% voters
would vote for him and according to a survey held in October, 5.4%
would vote for him. With regard to Artur Baghdasarian these indices
made 9.4% and 4.8%, Levon Ter-Petrosian 1.3% and 2.7%, Artashes
Geghamian 8.2% and 2%, Vahan Hovhannisian 0% and 1.4%, Vazgen Manukian
3.5% and 1.1%, Tigran Karapetian 5.1% and 0.3%, respectively.
According to the analysis of the Sociometer’s Director, the half of
the voters will vote for S. Sargsian, 30% for one of the opposition
candidates, and 20% has not decided yet for whom to vote. In his
words, in the preelection period the candidates for presidency will
fight to receive these 20% votes.
According to A. Adibekian, L. Ter-Petrosian has small resources for
receiving votes and "he does not know from whom he should take votes."
According to the sociologist, the first RA President has no firm
support in the regions: the majority of people to vote for hom, 60%,
are from Yerevan.
A. Adibekian also mentioned that state officials, whom something
hampers now to take high posts, people, who have taken high posts in
the years of his tenure, as well as some businessmen are among the
people supporting L. Ter-Petrosian. The presence of the latters in
the team of the candidate for presidency, according to A. Adibekian,
is explained by the fact that "tax discipline has made stricter under
Prime Minister Serge Sargsian."