It appears that the opinions of the people against the constitutional amendments have been split into two: one side of the opposition claims that we must all go and say “no” to the constitutional amendment draft, while the rest believe that we must boycott the referendum taking place on November 27.
The president of the National Democratic Union Vazgen Manukyan, for whom the best solution is to boycott the referendum, said the following yesterday during the press conference at the National Press Club. “The people are actually thinking about boycotting the referendum. They don’t even know what the new constitution will bring.” Besides that, it is much easier to control or boycott, in contrast to the simple “no”. “There are 1865 dark, magical rooms in Armenia (he refers to the polls-A.G.). You can go inot those rooms however you wish, but in the end you will come out feeling that you have done nothing. To welcome everyone in the rooms being under the control of some forces is wrong because it is there where falsifications happen while counting the votes,” said Vazgen Manukyan as he gave a total image of the boycott version. According to the president of the National Democratic Union, boycott is the most acceptable version in politics. “This way, you not only say “no” to that document, but you also pave the path for new changes to be made,” said Mr. Manukyan and added that in general, he was not satisfied with the existing constitution. He has fought hard to see a change in the constitution ever since 1995. “But all of a sudden, the mountain roared and the mouse came out,” said Manukyan as he recalled the Armenian popular saying. In addition, the leader of the National Democratic Union confessed that this was the first time that he was totally for boycotting and felt assured. Although, he did state the fact that by saying boycott, he did not mean trusting the henchmen of the authorities and the opposition. They are the ones who will play the role of observers and keep an eye on everything. “After all, the opposition has not succeeded in telling the people to go into a poll and vote “no” and take responsibility for everything since 1995. How will they manage to do that now?” says Mr. Manukyan. However, if the authorities try falsifying the referendum, Vazgen Manukyan considers that as a catastrophe for the nation. “If the Armenian people have a little faith left, then that will also disappear. If they falsify, the people will be certain once and for all that this country is not theirs and that it belongs to a group of people who do whatever they want.” According to the oppositionist, it is normal for the people to defend their rights if that happens, and even, start a revolution. However, the president of the NDU theoretically doesn’t exclude the fact that there may be some people who will go and vote in favor of the constitutional amendments. If society takes that step voluntarily, without any pressure, then Manukyan will be ready to adapt to the new Consitution no matter how bad it may be. “If the people vote for it, then nobody has the right to say anything. It will just be a shame for us to realize that we have spent the last ten years trying to change our constitution,” says Mr. Manukyan.
As for the resignation of the president of Armenia in case the referendum fails, according to Vazgen Manukyan, he would take that step if he were president. “But to force Robert Kocharyan to step down from office because of the failure of the referendum is based on ethics. I am not one to decide. One thing is clear: the power of the authorities will weaken if the referendum does not go as planned. The authorities have never felt better in Armenia than now, but if the referendum fails, the authorities will realize that they are not so powerful and that they can’t do whatever they want and when they want,” says Manukyan.
Some European organizations have accepted the constitutional amendment draft, which will be voted for during the referendum. According to Vazgen Manukyan, that does not mean that we have a good draft. International organizations simply refer to us as, for example, as a backward country. “During the hard work put in throughout the years, we came to the point where we are referred to as a baclward country. If something is considered good formally, we immediately claim that there is progress,” he said ironically.