DPA CHAIRMAN: NO HONEST STRUGGLE WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN YEREVAN COUNCIL OF ELDERS ELECTIONS, EITHER

Noyan Tapan
March 24, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The Democratic Party of Armenia
(DPA) under the formed situation does not consider it expedient
to run for the May 31 Yerevan Council of Elders elections. Party
Chairman Aram G. Sargsian stated at the March 24 press conference. He
said that they are not satisfied with the law on the electoral
system. A. Sargsian is convinced that nothing has been essentially
changed in the electoral system and no honest struggle will be carried
out this time, either. "The administrative force will be again used,
big sums will be spent. However, we should understand that not money,
force, and power levers, but the program, ideology, and personality
are important in competition," the DPA Chairman mentioned.

A. Sargsian did not exclude, either that they will not go to ballot
at all.

"Everything depends on the fact what programs the political forces
running for the elections will present," he said. And the capital city,
according to him, today has serious problems, including landscape,
ecological, which further deepen day by day.

According to A. Sargsian’s prediction, L. Ter-Petrosian’s victory
in Yerevan Mayor’s elections is not so probable. "L. Ter-Petrosian
stated that he will accept only results bringing him a victory. And
it means that if suddenly they are not elected, they declare that the
results are false, and the process that started on March 1, 2008 will
be launched on June 1," A. Sargsian said. He gave assurance that the
people no longer believes L.

Ter-Petrosian and will not follow him.