Lragir, Armenia
Dec 4 2007
WITHOUT MANUKYAN IT WILL END IN ONE ROUND
The leader of the National Democratic Party Shavarsh Kocharyan who
said to support Vazgen Manukyan stated December 4 at the Hayatsk
press club only Vazgen Manukyan , who is opposition to both the
previous and the present government, and proved that he is not
against persons but authoritarianism is able to tackle the most
important problem of the country – structural reforms.
`If an artificial impression is made that in reality the struggle is
between the present and the previous ones, it favors the present one,
and it will end in the first round. Our aim is to foil this plan. And
only the unification that will emerge around Vazgen Manukyan can do
it. Because it will not be bullfight, but questions will be raised
which are justified by ideas, plans and biography, which are directed
at the future of Armenia. Only in this case will the scenario be
foiled. Otherwise, there is no if,’ says Shavarsh Kocharyan in answer
to the question why the NDU will do, whom it will support if Vazgen
Manukyan is not elected to the second round of election.
In answer to the question whether his words mean that if Vazgen
Manukyan does not run in the second round, there will be no second
round at all, Shavarsh Kocharyan says if Vazgen Manukyan is not
elected to it to be perceived appropriately by the society, all the
rest if meaningless. `Today there is only one possibility, the
current process that is now underway and which leads to the victory
of the representative of the majority, to prevent it, I see no other
way but unification around Vazgen Manukyan,’ Shavarsh Kocharyan says.
He rules out supporting Levon Ter-Petrosyan. He says Ter-Petrosyan
has founded this authoritarian system, and the National Democratic
Party accuses the present government of having enlarged this vicious
system instead of fighting it. As to the probability that Vazgen
Manukyan may withdraw from the campaign and support the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun, Shavarsh Kocharyan says nothing should be ruled out
in politics but he can see that Vazgen Manukyan is determined to go
all the way. Now efforts to cooperate with other parties – the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun, the Orinats Yerkir Party and the Heritage Party – are
made, the aim of which is to control the election because all the
three parties have representatives to the election commissions.
Such cooperation is highly important because let us recall the
referendum and the recent parliamentary election when there was no
argument, and everyone said there was fraud. Point to it. If you do
not control, you cannot accuse observers of using double standard.
How are you going to prove? Shavarsh Kocharyan asks. As to the
observation that people sell their votes, Shavarsh Kocharyan says it
is an excuse for fraud by the government and for the failure of the
opposition to get the confidence of the society.
Shavarsh Kocharyan rules out that if there is distinct control, the
government will resort to violence in answer to the question what the
opposition can do in that case. He gives the example of the
presidential election of 1996 when the government held on to power
through violence. Shavarsh Kocharyan says he rules out the repetition
of this scenario in 2008. `I think this scenario is ruled out in
these elections,’ Shavarsh Kocharyan says. According to him, the most
important problem is people’s confidence and standing to this vote of
this confidence.