Citizens of Armenia will soon witness the heated up political struggle during this extremely hot summer.
Whereas the visible pre-election campaign, the so-called PR demonstrations (concerts, meetings, press interviews, etc.) are just starting, the invisible, or so-called “closed” electoral techniques have become a custom in Armenia.
One of these techniques is, for example, the announcement made by the Armenian Republican party according to which, Defense Minister of Armenia will join the Republican party during the July 22 meeting.
And there’s no doubt that many administrative and business resources will belong to the Republicans. They may even have the desire to acquire the lates ministerial, vice-ministerial and/or executive positions of the UN.
As a custom, another electoral technique will be the use of resources of the state and private sectors, which are directly tied to the residents, in this case voters. The Armenian authorities know very well the significant role that electricians play during this pre-election campaign.
The fact that the electricians of the three cities of Armenia (Alaverdi, Nor Hatchn and Etchmiadzin) were elected as mayors during last year’s local government elections says a lot about the influence that the electric network system has in Armenia. It’s obvious that the electricians have already started the pre-election campaign in order to get them elected. Based on this, I don’t think the recent follow-ups on the “Armenian Electric Networks” company by the prosecutor’s office were by chance, however they didn’t really inform the public about what’s really going on there and that was more like fulfilling a requirement. It’s definitely going to be a requirement when it comes time for elections and as citizens of Armenia know, the general prosecutor of Armenia is getting ready to participate with his “Union for Armenia” party or most probably with the Republicans.
Many thought that after the Russian “RAO EES” purchased the “Armenian Electric Networks”, it would be easier for electricians to control the use of the resource both from the economic and political perspectives.
This was simple logic because it has already been a while since Yevgeni Gladunchik has been working in Armenia and supposedly, all issues would be solved the way they should. However, there is another influential official at the company who hasn’t really been brought out into the light and who isn’t that popular. The person with a little more influence than Gladunchik is none other than vice-director of the “Armenian Electric Networks” company Ashot Tokhunts, whom company workers call “brutal cardinal”. In fact, Ashot Tokhunts happens to be a close friend of the deputy defense minister and Dashnak Arthur Aghabekyan.
This story could really be of economic interest if it weren’t for Aghabekyan’s interests for the Dashnak party. Taking into consideration the fact that the pre-election campaign has already begun, we may assume that the ARF has decided to “politely” take the electric resources from the Republicans, who were using them to this day.
I can only assume that Mr. Aghabekyan’s boss and defense minister Serge Sargsyan, who is planning to join the Republican party, doesn’t realize that the “Armenian Electrics Networks” company (directed by Yevgeni Gladunchik who is considered to be “chosen” by Sargsyan) can go in favor of the political figure come election time regardless of the fact that the “Martik” (soldier) fund logo is imprinted on all the “Armenian Electrics Networks” service cars. I can make two conclusions based on all this: either Ashot Tokhunts and Gladunchik are “hurting” RAO EES economically and Serge Sargsyan politically, or Gladunchi isn’t aware of Ashot Tokhunts’s “tricks”.