IN CONVICTION OF VAZGEN MANUKIAN, NONE OF OPPOSITION CANDIDATES TO RECEIVE MORE THAN 20% IN FIRST STAGE

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. In case of not being simulated,
the second stage of the presidential elections is inevitable. This
conviction was expressed by Vazgen Manukian, the Chairman of the
National Democratic Union and a candidate running for the post of the
RA President, at the press conference held on February 12. According
to him, irrespective of the existence of a certain electorate and
the administrative resource, the candidate of the authorities Prime
Minister Serge Sargsian cannot win with one stage in case of fair
elections. The same can be said about the opposition candidates,
none of them, according to Vazgen Manukian, can receive more than
20% of votes. In his words, each of the main candidates has his
stable electorate, which will not vote for another candidate. The
statements of some of the candidates, according to which they will
win in the first stage, according to Vazgen Manukian, are a "bluff"
and an attempt to take away voices from other candidates.

In the conviction of the candidate, people should vote according to
their wish, as the vote of no one gets lost: the vote given to any
candidate in the opposition field is in favour of the opposition
and the candidate, who will receive more votes will pass to the
second stage. In the conviction of the speaker, in difference to the
2003 presidential elections, the distribution of votes between the
opposition candidates will be more equal this time. Vazgen Manukian
mentioned that the distribution of votes in favour of candidates will
be not only their but also society’s mark. The candidate, who will
pass to the second stage, will have a chance to win if he is able to
unite the opposition field and most of the people around him.

Touching upon the foreign political issues, Vazgen Manukian mentioned
that he has great respect towards NATO, however, he considers Armenia’s
possible membership in that structure at this moment as not just in
time. According to him, NATO will not defend Armenia either from the
possible encroachments of Turkey or Azerbaijan. Attaching importance
to the relations with Russia, the candidate, at the same time
considered the idea on making Armenia the "outpost" of that country
as inaddmissible. "Good relations with Russia and becoming a slave
are different things," he mentioned. According to the Chairman of the
National Democratic Union, the striving of the Armenian authorities,
which is to receive the patronage of the authorities of Russia during
the elections, which are always simulated, plays a great role here.