EXTRAORDINARY ELECTION IS NEEDED
s17254.html
11:32:11 – 23/03/2010
In response to a question concerning the necessity to hold
extraordinary elections in Armenia, three kinds of answers are given:
usually the first type is when the need of extraordinary election
is doubtlessly affirmed, the second case is when people say there
is no need neither grounds. The third type is the most interesting
one- people say there is no need but it is not ruled out, though if
elections have previously been rigged, there is no guarantee they
will not be rigged this time too, so it is better to engage in an
ideological fight. The bearer of this third opinion is mainly ARF
Dashnaktsutyun.
The third version seems to be the most realistic and the most grounded
one. This same third version is the most logic but at the same time
the most vulnerable one from the point of logic. The point is that in
Armenia, based on the same logic, it never made sense to participate
in regular elections, as they have always been the same, there has
always been no guarantee that they would not be rigged. Consequently,
the question occurs whether, for example, the Dashnaktsutyun, which
participated in all elections, had enough guarantees that they would
not be rigged.
If we are led by this logic, we have to declare regular elections
invalid too until a new ideological movement is formed, enough
governmental will and a mechanism of electoral reforms for us to be
sure that regular elections will absolutely not be rigged.
Whereas extraordinary elections are to be viewed as an effective
solution to home and foreign challenges. The point is that the current
government has a hard time to maneuver in front of the international
society because the latter ignored the frauds of 2007-2008 elections
and accepted Serge Sargsyan’s absolute victory to deprive him from
the possibility to maneuver.
For instance, if Serge Sargsyan tells the international community
that he is not able to do a certain thing because of the resistance
of the opposition and the public, the international society will tell
him in turn, "but you used to hold absolute victories on all levels"
or "what about your absolute victories if you do not have absolute
support of the public". In other words, the reason why false victories
were tolerated and encouraged is clear- for the government not to be
able to make tricks in front of the international society.
Consequently, extraordinary elections are needed in Armenia to create
some field for a game. Naturally, for this purpose, the extraordinary
elections are needed to not be rigged, and the government is to
understand that the "absoluteness" is an illusive victory which does
not reach the stomach, if it does, it creates problems with digestion.
Hence, any pragmatic political force is to view the version of
extraordinary election in the context of the dictation of a political
situation not of the interests of their party: if the opposition
demands extraordinary elections, and we do not have chances to get
many votes, we do not need it until we come to some agreement with
the power before a regular election.