ARFD DEPUTY: ONLY PRESIDENT CAN GIVE GUARANTEES OF NOT USING ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCE IN ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 2, 2009

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. If being elected an ARFD Mayor is
ready to work with professional managers irrespective of their party
belonging.

Artsvik Minasian, a member of the RA National Assembly ARFD faction,
heading the ARFD electoral roll in Yerevan Council of Elders
elections stated at the April 1 press conference. He said that if
in the elections Dashnaktsutiun receives a considerable advantage
and the party makes such a decision, he is ready to renounce his
deputy mandate.

Touching upon the fact of appointing Mayor former Kentron community
prefect Gagik Beglarian on the threshold of the elections, A. Minasian
said that it was President’s competence, and the President did not
see a necessity of discussion with coalition parties.

A. Minasian does not see any problem connected with G. Beglarian
heading the RPA party list if the latter keeps the "rules of the
game," does not use his administrative levers and does not spend
funds of Mayor’s Office on voter buying. The ARFD deputy expressed an
apprehension that RPA members will wish to use their administrative
resources as they did it in the previous elections. He affirmed that
only the President, who is also the RPA leader, can give guarantees
that the administrative resources will not be used. A. Minasian
expressed the hope that the President will make such a decision and
will publicly state it.

According to him, by stating that the rumors on collecting passports
and making up lists of those to vote for them are a provocation and
there is nothing of the kind, the RPA is engaged in demagogy. According
to A. Minasian, such a policy will result in deepening of the tension,
which can be the reason of one more March 1.