Ten days have passed since the official campaign period started, and we can already sum up the methods and ways each of the 25 parties appears to the public and campaigns (at least for the beginning period).
The “National Democratic Party”, “National Consent”, Aram Sargsyan’s “Democratic Party”, “Social-Democratic Hnchakyan”, “The Youth Party of Armenia” and “The National United Liberal” parties are very passive and are using only their airing right provided by the national TV company (H1). Besides the mentioned parties, the “National Unity” party is campaigning very actively and its leader is using all the possible opportunities to influence people’s emotional feelings, and publishes open letters to the public. Also the “Prosperous Armenia” party is very active. You can see their posters everywhere in the city (notwithstanding, you could see such posters before the official campaign period too). The PA has already organized several rallies, where there were also fireworks and concerts. As for the parties of Samvel Babayan and Raffi Hovhannisyan, they mostly concentrate on the past of their leaders. The “Democratic Way” party, which is led by Manouk Gasparyan and Arshak Sadoyan, prefers using radio. The Party of Democratic Forces is not among the most passive ones, but is not very active either. The campaign program of this party is based on their assurances that after the upcoming elections, Aharon Adibekyan will no longer work as a sociologist, since they believe their party will be given over 0.8% (he has promised to do so). “Impeachment” bloc is campaigning very actively and is periodically organizing rallies. The number of participants in their rallies is significantly growing. “Dashink” party assures that their purpose is the impeachment of the existing authorities. ARF (Dashnaksutyun) is rather active too. They have attached many posters too, and they are definitely the party with the most posters after PA and ARP. They are also meeting people in the regions and using the airtime of H1 and “Yerkir Media” TV. Also, they have invented a new method of campaigning; they are hanging white balloons in the streets with their slogans written on them. As usual, the campaign program of this party is mainly targeted to the sentiment of the voters. Stepan Demirchyan’s PPA party is also campaigning actively (they are using the airtime of H1, having meetings in the regions, and attaching posters), but they are using the name of Karen Demirchyan as before and are trying to be represented as a decisive and honorable party. Notwithstanding, the communists’ party is campaigning with its very short, but disgraceful advertising video, which is full of memories and sentiments reminding of Soviet times. In some parts they show some rallies organized during the Karabakh movement in 1998, and parallel with that say that “the dark days are coming”. Marxist Davit Hakobyan’s campaign program is passive too, but it is rather funny, much as Tigran Karapetyan’s People’s Party. The ARP is trying to report all that they have done during the recent years and doesn’t promise very much. Their campaign program is rather active too, and also contains some concert programs. As for the ANM, their campaign does not seem to be very active. The ANM representatives are using their airtime for campaigning purposes, but it seems that they don’t want to do that and someone has obliged them to participate in the elections. The “Republic” party is also campaigning actively, and demanding the resignation of the existing authorities. The representatives of Gurgen Arsenyan’s ULP party say that they want the same things that everyone wants. Their advertising video is very interesting, as Gurgen Arsenyan is saying with some strange intonation that they like our country. The “Christian-Democratic Party” is still passive. The “Legal State” party is doing the same as they have always been doing; they are still holding onto populism. Besides the mentioned parties, the leader of “New Times” party is speaking about the past of some high ranking officials and petitioning people to pay attention “to the dark periods in their life”. Yesterday Aram Karapetyan told us that they were going to continue that way. It is worth mentioning that on May 2, A. Karapetyan said that there were some parties in Armenia working as opposition and getting paid. He also said that he would say those names during the pre-election campaign period and also would bring forth arguments. Yesterday we asked him when he was going to publish those names, to which he answered that he would say those names at the end of the official campaign period. “As I said, I must see what they are doing. If they are campaigning as real opposition powers they should act so, but if we see that they are “playing” opposition, we will say that. Nevertheless, as I see the opposition, particularly the core opposition is doing well. I don’t have anything to say yet; I can say that at the end,” he said. However, the NT leader, who has participated in the rallies of “Impeachment” too, says that he does not think “Impeachment” is playing both sides. “I know some of them, including Vahagn Khachatryan, and I am sure that they will never come to an agreement with the authorities. I don’t say that it is bad, yet you can always come to an agreement with them, but on conditions that they must give the power to new people. The first priority in our program was impeachment too, and that is why we are keeping together,” said Karapetyan. In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that there is not competition between ideologies, but people have to make a choice between concerts and fireworks, relatives of neighborhood men, or the money they are offered.