The community elections of Arabkir held on Sunday proceeded in an environment of numerous arguments, scuffles, threats and other outstanding incidents.
In almost all the 49 precincts of the community incidents took place. Even if in some of them the environment was more or less quiet then outside of the polling stations the environment was really tense. Moreover, in all of the precincts several policemen were supervising, who were mostly ignoring incidents. For example, in the school 128 of Liberty Avenue 2 precincts were located, where of course the number of policemen should have been bigger. At midday we received a call that the supporters of Albert Yeritsyan all in black were trying to interfere with the PEC functioning. There was an alert call that they moved voters in Gazel mini vans to the polling stations to vote and offered those bribes inside the vehicles. Once we arrived we noticed 20-30 young men gathered outside. Upper the school there was a blue Gazel pulled over, from which voters would enter the polling station one by one. Some of the young men were giving certain instructions to the people. When we tried to film that part about 10 young men in black attacked us and tried to grab the photo camera. “Who gave you the right to photo shoot us? Unload the tape from the camera or we will break you and your camera,” they screamed when attacking. We succeeded in saving ourselves only by the help of some people. Right at that time the policemen were silently following the process of elections. When we approached and asked them why they don’t appease the guys, who were not only interfering with the electoral process but were also threatening journalists one of the policemen answered that they hadn’t noticed anything. Are they not interested who these guys are? Why have they gathered outside the poling station? Why is there a Gazel nearby? “It is not our business and we are just watching the process inside the polling stations,” answered the policeman and added, “Don’t teach us what to do. We perfectly know our job. Don’t instruct us.” A little later the same guys impeded the work of the NA MP Zaruhi Postanjyan and photo reporter of the Chorrord Ishkhanutyun newspaper Gagik Shamshyan. The same group of policemen kept following the process with the same indifference. After midday when there was a call that an incident was registered in the Culture House of the Blind People (near the Komitas market), where there was another precinct located, it turned out that the same young people in black were interfering the election process. After the accumulation of the information it turned out that there is a group of supporters of Yeritsyan from Malatia-Sebastia and Arabkir. These guys travel in precincts and create tension, gathering and fights. And all that of course was happening in the close focus of the policemen. Perhaps, that is the reason why there was such a low turnout during elections. Only 30.000 or 34% of 87.000 residents of Arabkir showed up at the polls.