ARMENIAN POLITICIAN WARNS OF "SERIOUS CLASHES" IN MAYORAL ELECTION

Aravot
May 23 2009
Armenia

Armen Rustamyan, the head of the election HQ of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun, has warned against
"serious clashes" during the forthcoming 31 May Yerevan city council
and mayoral elections.

Dashnaktsutyun withdrew from the ruling coalition on 27 April citing
foreign policy disagreements with the government. The opposition
press has recently reported a few skirmishes between members of the
two ruling coalition parties – the Republican Party of Armenia and
the Prosperous Armenia party. Rustamyan said if there were "passions"
during the election campaign, they could "grow into serious clashes"
on 31 May, Aravot said.

Rustamyan said there is a share of rationalism in a recent statement
by sociologist Aharon Adibekyan, who said that the withdrawal from
the coalition would lose Dashnaktsutyun part of its electorate that
would vote for the coalition in the mayoral election. Rustamyan said
the logic of losing the electorate showed that the party was not
playing an "election game" by withdrawing from the coalition ahead
of the election, Aravot said.

Rustamyan criticized the election campaign, saying that no "political
debates" among candidates were taking place. Rustamyan said if
Dashnaktsutyun got the majority of votes in the election it would
give control over municipal management to the opposition. Rustamyan
added that Dashnaktsutyun would "still implement its programmes"
if it got the minority of votes, Aravot said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress