– The lists publicized by the police showed that compared to 2008 presidential elections during this race the number of voters has increased by 165,000 and reached approximately 2,5 million. Do you believe these numbers in the case that the migration rates have been speeding up during the past years?
– During the hearings organized in the framework of the Union of Political Scientists of Armenia I have numerously said that we had information that the list was being exaggerated. Compared to the voter lists of 2007 parliamentary elections the number of voters has increased by 170,000. The police has already issued an official information, according to which this number is over 165,000. It means that our information had grounds. The police explained this by the version that these people were not registered and that’s why it was difficult to track them down in the past.
– What should be done to fight against these fake and groundless assumptions and violations? There is already an opinion that at the expense of that the government will win about a half million votes.
– The only way is the unity of the efforts of the political parties. It is necessary to establish internal party oversight chapters, which would be able to articulate the potential of parties. It is necessary to establish an internal party format of consultations, in the frames of which it will become possible to jointly check the voter lists, delete the dead people and the names of the not existing citizens.
– Have you clarified yet what kind of role you are going to play within the Prosperous Armenia during the campaign period? Is it going to be speeches, platform development, field trips, voter meetings, etc?
– Regarding this matter I will fully rely on the decision of the party. I am not a member of the party but am involved in the PA list. Will try to conduct with honor all the assignments and errands of the party. I will try to justify the trust which the leader of the party Gagik Tsarukyan had in me, by inviting me to join them party list. The head of the PA campaign office has already asked me this question and I said that I would do whatever the party decides.
– Prior to 2007 parliamentary elections the PA announced that it had 400,000 members but received only 200,000 votes. Are you aware how many members currently the party has? Your possibility of your election depends on this matter as well.
– The leaders of the party have clear information about this. The Union of Political Scientists has experts of sociology and according to their assessment and evaluation the PA tops the list of the parties with its rating.
– Such surveys are conducted by other political parties as well – RPA, ANC and present the data in their own favor.
– We only believe the survey results, which are not used for campaigning purposes. There are also assessments of other serious international organizations, which are not used for campaigning purposes. This is why the results are trustworthy. They are not publicized but are shared with the leaders of parties. If they were done for campaigning purposes they would indeed not conform to reality.
– There was an opinion that you were able to be included in the first 10 of PA proportional list because of your connections in Russia.
– Such opinions are groundless because Russia is very delicate and doesn’t interfere with the internal political affairs of Armenia. In 1994-1997 I was invited to work as an expert in the Russian State Duma as a senior expert of Transcaucasia. I had the luck and honor of preparing the Armenian genocide recognition resolution in 1995, which was unanimously adopted. And this is a fact that my efforts as an expert were highly evaluated by the leadership of the Russian Duma.
– Before elections the coalition parties conduct charity actions. The Legal State gives away conserved jams and juices. The PA gives away antennas and offers other services. The RPA behaves in the same manner.
– The PA doesn’t help the citizens only during the pre-election period. The party has always supported the citizens. Thankfully our citizens have the opportunity to receive such help. Let other rich people think about help as well. Tsarukyan is not the only wealthy person in this country.
– In the case of Tsarukyan and others there is an opinion that this charity is given out to cover the unpaid taxes.
– There is always the presumption of innocence and it’s not right to say such a thing. The PA has always been a big supporter of the tax administration reform. The big business should understand that the small and medium businesses are the only place where the economy can develop from. Tsarukyan has always been the supporter of this approach.
– Not only Tsarukyan but also other businessmen MPs are not occupied with legislative activities and they don’t even attend the NA sessions. Why do they want to become MPs again?
– There is a simple reason behind that. He makes serious investments in political technologies and increase of political competition. He realizes that competition is the only key, which can make the country become a developed democracy. I have agreed to be on the list because I saw that this party is a supporter of a political race and completion.
– There is really an opinion that the PA is the main opponent of the RPA regardless of the fact that they are coalition partners. However, in this case, there is even an opinion the PA is a party that endorses the former president Robert Kocharyan and is trying to ensure his return to politics.
– As in the past I was against the ones, who were thinking that Levon Ter-Petrosyan shouldn’t come back to politics, now as well I think we shouldn’t mind the return of Robert Kocharyan. Back then, according to the old constitution, the president of the head of the executive branch. Now the prime minister heads the executive. During the years of his tenure an unforgettable achievement was registered – essential decrease of poverty. In this dire social-economic situation the index of poverty is extremely important. After 1998, during the 10-year tenure of Kocharyan the poverty index from 56% reached 27%.
– But in the past you have always been criticizing Kocharyan’s government.
– I was criticizing the fact that in the frames of liberal approaches the results of the economic growth and wealth were not evenly distributed. In the aspect of social justice liberal approaches become vulnerable and I suggest paying more attention and giving more importance to the criteria of social justice. But today we see that no progress I being registered in the social justice direction and in general the pie of justice being decreased.
– In 2005, when the constitution was being amended there was an opinion Kocharyan would nominated a prime minister because he wished to become a prime minister afterwards.
– This is from the sector of conspiracy because these constitutional changes have been supported by the incumbent government as well. The constitutional amendments have been discussed in the parliament and were first of all endorsed by the Republican Party, the chairman of which is Serzh Sargsyan. Back then the main point was to separate the three branches of power. Back then it was the president who was signing the decisions of the government. Today these decisions are signed by the prime minister, who is the leader of the executive branch.