PR TECHNOLOGIST: IN YEREVAN COUNCIL OF ELDERS ELECTIONS MAIN STRUGGLE WILL PROCEED BETWEEN LEVON TER-PETROSIAN AND GAGIK BEGLARIAN

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10, 2009

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Three main PR conceptions have
been formed in Armenia’s home political sphere on the threshold of
Yerevan Council of Elders elections. PR adviser, political scientist
Gerasim Barseghian said at the April 10 press conference. According
to him, the first conception is aimed at very much politicizing the
forthcoming elections, the author of which is the radical opposition
represented by the Armenian National Congress (ANC). The second PR
conception, according to G. Barseghian, is a conception dedicated to
purely Yerevan problems, aimed at solving everyday issues, the bearer
of which is the Republican Party of Armenia (ANC). And the third is
mixed agitation including both big political and small organization
issues and is characteristic of ARFD and People’s Party.

In my opinion, most efficient PR technologies regard the second
conception," G. Barseghian said. In his words, an Armenian
voter does not treat Yerevan Mayor’s elections as he treats state
elections. "Though a thought was voiced in press that we are not going
to elect a rubbish disposal manager, nevertheless one of the three
problems Yerevan residents are concerned with is the very problem of
rubbish disposal," he stressed. G. Barseghian added that opposition’s
message, "it will be hot," "the second round," is evidence that
Yerevan Council of Elders elections will not proceed quietly. However,
according to his prediction, the situation will not reach a critical
point as it happened after the 2008 presidential elections.

PR technologist Karen Kocharian, in his turn, agreed that state
elections are perceived in another way in Armenia than local
self-government elections, even if in case of Yerevan including almost
the half of country’s population. He added that on May 31 the main
struggle will proceed between first RA President Levon Ter-Petrosian
and current Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglarian.