Ter-Petrosian Seeks Rural Vote
Socially disadvantaged region gets behind Armenian opposition candidate pledging to deal with their problems.
Ter-Petrosian Seeks Rural Vote
Socially disadvantaged region gets behind Armenian opposition candidate pledging to deal with their problems.
The Gegharkunk region bordering Lake Sevan is in the grip of a winter freeze, wrapped in a white shroud of snow - but the sleepy calm is being broken by an unusually impassioned presidential election campaign.
The villagers here say that it is good that presidential elections are held every five years and they are visited by the competing candidates, otherwise they would be entirely forgotten. On February 3, former president and current presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian toured the region.
The regional centre of Tsovagyukh, 150 kilometres from Yerevan, was bustling. Even before Ter-Petrosian arrived, around a fifth of the 5,000 inhabitants had gathered to meet him. Women wrapped in headscarves had assembled separately from the men by the entrance of the only shop.
Vard Gazarian, a mother of six children and a teacher, said that life was very tough here. In early spring, the men all went abroad to find work and came back only at the end of autumn.
“What kind of life is that?” she asked. “A bit here, a bit there. We are all disillusioned but we are expecting something from these elections, hoping that they can change at least something.
“The people of our village will vote mainly for the opposition candidates - for Levon Ter-Petrosian or Artur Baghdasarian. Our leaders have not lifted a finger to help the people, who will vote for them?”
Both Ter-Petrosian, who was independent Armenia’s first president from 1991 to 1998, and former speaker of parliament Baghdasarian are mounting a strong challenge to the official candidate and prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, who remains the favourite in the February 19 poll. If none of the nine candidates gains more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round of voting will be held two weeks later.
In Tsovagyukh, the villagers held placards saying “We will win” and “Tsovagyukh for you”. Ter-Petrosian was met with the traditional bread and salt, a gesture of hospitality. Then began the speeches, interrupted by shouts of “Victory, victory!”
Ter-Petrosian told the crowd, “Neither in the city nor in the regions do I see a single vote for Serzh Sarkisian. As this is the case, what are they counting on? He is relying on the state machine, on money and falsifying the elections. All the people are against him, even the state apparatus, the ministries, police.”
Ter-Petrosian promised that, if re-elected, he will receive a delegation from the village and discuss their problems and in particular the privatisation of the shoreline of Armenia’s biggest and most famous lake, Lake Sevan.
“I know about the problems of your region, even about the problems of your village,” he said. “It is the lake, fish, the beaches that don’t belong to you any more. The whole shoreline has been privatised. The day will come and you won’t even be able to walk down to the shore at all.”
People’s complaints were predominantly about socio-economic problems. Hrachik Vardanian protested that there were no jobs in the village and no equipment to maintain the soil. He said the last three years have been especially hard and villagers have started to leave and take their families with them.
“I think many people have come with good intentions to listen to the candidate, regardless of whom they will vote for,” said Vardanian. “There is no atmosphere of fear in the village. Everyone will vote according to his conscience.”
Ter-Petrosian’s campaign bandwagon then moved on to the next village, Lchashen. Even though there are nine candidates, you can see only one poster - for the official candidate, Sarkisian. Only when Ter-Petrosian himself arrived did placards of the opposition candidate appear.
In Lchshen, the local men looked downcast, unconvinced that the elections will change their lives.
Ter-Petrosian and his team tried to persuade the villagers to vote. “Give us your votes and we will stand up for you. Gorbachev could not stop us [in the pre-independence years of 1988-91] so how can these two pathetic personalities,” he said in reference to serving president Robert Kocharian and his close ally Sarkisian.
The men of the village appeared to support the opposition.
“For ten years in a row I’ve gone to work in Russia to support my family,” said Levon Azizian. “Why should I be far away from my wife and children. I don’t need a country like this. I need a country where I can stay with my family.”
One of the men told the others why they should reject criticism of Ter-Petrosian. “They say that during Levon’s time there was no power and people went hungry,” he said. “But they should think about the fact that these were the years of war. And how did we win in that war? Everyone should ask himself this question and answer it.”
The next stop was the town of Sevan where almost 2,000 people had gathered. Local people said that the mayor, Gevorg Malkhasian, had warned people and especially those who worked for the local administration not to turn out for the rally.
“But look how many people have turned out,” said Lala Margarian. “People are already tired of being afraid, they want positive changes.”
Those who attend the rally speculated as to whether there will be an attempt by the authorities to rig the vote.
Aram Sarkisian, head of the Republic Party and a supporter of Ter-Petrosian, claimed that mayors and village heads were being called to the president’s office and told to secure the right number of votes for Sarkisian.
Ter-Petrosian told the people of Sevan to take part in the election and to make sure that there are no irregularities, urging men to keep a close eye on the voting. “If there will be 100-200 people by every polling station then no one will dare to falsify the vote,” he said.
The villagers here say that it is good that presidential elections are held every five years and they are visited by the competing candidates, otherwise they would be entirely forgotten. On February 3, former president and current presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian toured the region.
The regional centre of Tsovagyukh, 150 kilometres from Yerevan, was bustling. Even before Ter-Petrosian arrived, around a fifth of the 5,000 inhabitants had gathered to meet him. Women wrapped in headscarves had assembled separately from the men by the entrance of the only shop.
Vard Gazarian, a mother of six children and a teacher, said that life was very tough here. In early spring, the men all went abroad to find work and came back only at the end of autumn.
“What kind of life is that?” she asked. “A bit here, a bit there. We are all disillusioned but we are expecting something from these elections, hoping that they can change at least something.
“The people of our village will vote mainly for the opposition candidates - for Levon Ter-Petrosian or Artur Baghdasarian. Our leaders have not lifted a finger to help the people, who will vote for them?”
Both Ter-Petrosian, who was independent Armenia’s first president from 1991 to 1998, and former speaker of parliament Baghdasarian are mounting a strong challenge to the official candidate and prime minister, Serzh Sarkisian, who remains the favourite in the February 19 poll. If none of the nine candidates gains more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round of voting will be held two weeks later.
In Tsovagyukh, the villagers held placards saying “We will win” and “Tsovagyukh for you”. Ter-Petrosian was met with the traditional bread and salt, a gesture of hospitality. Then began the speeches, interrupted by shouts of “Victory, victory!”
Ter-Petrosian told the crowd, “Neither in the city nor in the regions do I see a single vote for Serzh Sarkisian. As this is the case, what are they counting on? He is relying on the state machine, on money and falsifying the elections. All the people are against him, even the state apparatus, the ministries, police.”
Ter-Petrosian promised that, if re-elected, he will receive a delegation from the village and discuss their problems and in particular the privatisation of the shoreline of Armenia’s biggest and most famous lake, Lake Sevan.
“I know about the problems of your region, even about the problems of your village,” he said. “It is the lake, fish, the beaches that don’t belong to you any more. The whole shoreline has been privatised. The day will come and you won’t even be able to walk down to the shore at all.”
People’s complaints were predominantly about socio-economic problems. Hrachik Vardanian protested that there were no jobs in the village and no equipment to maintain the soil. He said the last three years have been especially hard and villagers have started to leave and take their families with them.
“I think many people have come with good intentions to listen to the candidate, regardless of whom they will vote for,” said Vardanian. “There is no atmosphere of fear in the village. Everyone will vote according to his conscience.”
Ter-Petrosian’s campaign bandwagon then moved on to the next village, Lchashen. Even though there are nine candidates, you can see only one poster - for the official candidate, Sarkisian. Only when Ter-Petrosian himself arrived did placards of the opposition candidate appear.
In Lchshen, the local men looked downcast, unconvinced that the elections will change their lives.
Ter-Petrosian and his team tried to persuade the villagers to vote. “Give us your votes and we will stand up for you. Gorbachev could not stop us [in the pre-independence years of 1988-91] so how can these two pathetic personalities,” he said in reference to serving president Robert Kocharian and his close ally Sarkisian.
The men of the village appeared to support the opposition.
“For ten years in a row I’ve gone to work in Russia to support my family,” said Levon Azizian. “Why should I be far away from my wife and children. I don’t need a country like this. I need a country where I can stay with my family.”
One of the men told the others why they should reject criticism of Ter-Petrosian. “They say that during Levon’s time there was no power and people went hungry,” he said. “But they should think about the fact that these were the years of war. And how did we win in that war? Everyone should ask himself this question and answer it.”
The next stop was the town of Sevan where almost 2,000 people had gathered. Local people said that the mayor, Gevorg Malkhasian, had warned people and especially those who worked for the local administration not to turn out for the rally.
“But look how many people have turned out,” said Lala Margarian. “People are already tired of being afraid, they want positive changes.”
Those who attend the rally speculated as to whether there will be an attempt by the authorities to rig the vote.
Aram Sarkisian, head of the Republic Party and a supporter of Ter-Petrosian, claimed that mayors and village heads were being called to the president’s office and told to secure the right number of votes for Sarkisian.
Ter-Petrosian told the people of Sevan to take part in the election and to make sure that there are no irregularities, urging men to keep a close eye on the voting. “If there will be 100-200 people by every polling station then no one will dare to falsify the vote,” he said.
