Concerning a recent announcement by presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan that by electing Serzh Sargsyan people will elect Nairi Hunanyan, MP Galust Sahakyan has told our correspondent, “I am reminding him that criminal Hunanyan is a result of his tenure and the environment then. I see common things in the content of the conversations in the parliament and all what is being said through the first president now. I don’t think Levon, but hatred is blind”.
According to ARP deputy chairman MP Galust Sahakyan the opposition has turned to slang and harsh critics as it “is experiencing the last accord of its efforts”.
– Mr. Sahakyan, if according to different American, British and domestic companies the leading candidate for presidency is your candidate, why are the authorities pushing people to provocation during oppositional meetings in regions?
– The first president is doing such things and by speaking badly he confuses people. He is activating people to lead them to scuffle, but we believe he will not be able to do that. It is done by him and by his team members only for one purpose, which is creating tension and hindering the normal process of elections. They understand that their activities will not bring to positive results, that people have not forgotten anything from their times and it is the only way they can do to change something. Their purpose is to injure someone to be able to say that the authorities are not providing security during the pre-election period. We understand those things very well and they shouldn’t hope that we will give place to their provocations. He doesn’t want to agree with the idea that people have not forgotten the bad times during his tenure and the fact that he wanted to give Karabakh back. I think that the first president should change his campaign strategy. The times when they could break the head of the supreme council president and be proud of their actions have passed long ago. I have numerously said that there could be danger. The incidents in Artashat are a result of those actions and efforts, which are done as last accords, where the first president insulted our colleagues just in front of their houses. I mean Hovik Abrahamyan. I think that it is a great failure on their part. When the hope is lost, when the idea dies out, the word becomes slang. Certainly we can speak nicknames about the opposition team members and describe them as different animals. I can look at their faces and tell them which animals they look like. For instance, one of them can be called as a crocodile because when he needs he can cry, smile or just move the tail. We can say a lot of things about the cynical speeches of the guy who wants to be like a pasha. However, we don’t need to do that, especially when our president is going to be everyone’s president. I think such things should be condemned and we should be against such bad things to prevent them as the governor of Ararat region ARP board member Alik Sargsyan did. We will just petition people not to do such things to prevent provocations on the part of the first president’s team.
– They are blaming you of organizing such provocations and in Artashat during the incident Nikol Pashinyan petitioned people not to be subject to such provocations.
– Pashas’ times have passed. We have never gone to their places and insulted their relatives. But they went to those houses and insulted the owners of those houses. There were some women there, who are not connected with anyone. They asked them why they had come again as they had been there before too, and for such questions there is no need to make so much noise and an incident. Rallies are organized for the purpose of answering to such questions, but not for hitting and beating women and insulting people. It is natural that those who are attacking first are provocateurs. That is why I compared them with a crocodile, which can cry and move the tail if needed. I have always said that it would be great if the first president chose the way to becoming a myth in a positive context.
– Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s campaign manager Alexander Arzumanyan has accused you in bribery on a state level by saying that the creation of the ad hoc commission in charge of discussing questions proposed by citizens and helping to solve such problems is a serious electoral violation. What can you say about this?
– I don’t want to remember things, but I believe that the professors of that initiative were the ANM representatives since the 90s. The government shall work, develop the economy, and I don’t think it is important whether the government’s activities are supported by separate candidates or no. The most important thing is the results, and this is the reason why we have stood up to help people live better.
– ANM board member Aram Manukyan has announced that there will be a great outflow from the government to their team in the middle of February. Are you worried about such possibility?
– No, I believe we are too decisive on our way.