It would be difficult to call RF elections a surprise, as it has long been destined in this way. The only surprise was the tears of the elected candidate Vladimir Putn at Manejhnaya square during his meeting with his supporters. Those tears were saying that he was pretty sure that the majority of Russians have entrusted their fates to him in free and fair elections. Anybody would cry only because of this idea. Of course, there were violations, several hundred thousand invalid ballots, carousel cases and election bribe. However, as the chairman of SDHP (one of the ANC supporting parties) Lyudmila Sargsyan said in her interview with Aravot daily “irrespective to all types of silly violations” Putin had defeating victory against his opponents. Grigori Yavlinski, chairman of Yabloko party, who was one of the serious competitors during the presidential elections, was never allowed to participate in elections. The entire administrative system and most of the mass media was working in favor of Putin. However, those are only details. As for the infinite territory of Russia hundred-thousand violations are just a drop in the ocean. Consequently, they could not affect on the election results. It can be said also that those types of violations are even necessary attributes going parallel to the elections. After becoming a president in Armenia, they come to say that the vast majority of the voters have entrusted their fate exclusively to them. Although, it should be noted, that this fact has never made any of our presidents cry. It is the society that always takes the role to cry. Similar to Russia, Armenian elections are always conducted with “silly violations”. Nobody denies that. President of the country, CEC chairman and the elected candidate themselves speak about this fact (after reporting the results). A simple list of the election falsifiers is once or twice circulating, but immediately forgotten. Of course there are election violations in Armenia, but they do not often affect on the election results like in Russia. Those violations will not affect on Serzh Sargsyan’s re-election fact on 2013 as well. In 1996 presidential elections Levon Ter-Petrosyan was pretty sure that he had fairly and transparently defeated his basic opponent. He hasn’t changed his opinion so far, if I am not mistaken. Yesterday Robert Kocharyan’s office manager Viktor Soghomonyan presenting his chief’s merits in his interview with “Mediamax” noted the following “Robert Kocharyan has never lost any election, either in Karabakh, or in the RA.” That is to say Kocharyan twice took the victory over Karen Demirchyan and Stepan Demirchyan . The fact that two person believe in that, is a good index. Serzh Sargsyan won the presidential elections in 2008. You won’t be forgiven if you dare to state that the elections were not that fair. There were only “minor” violations, “minor” riots and 10 victims. See, in Syria the average number of victims per day is 10 people. The thing is, as long as we do not regard every electoral violation as a phenomenon impacting the whole electoral process which can have crucial influence on election results, we will still have what is expected for May 6 elections. The president who took the office with the help of electoral violations is a serious experiment for the given country. Mainly oligarchs and their body-guards, having criminal background, are engaged in electoral violations. After the elections they expect a corresponding attitude, i.e. permission to have monopolies, to avoid taxes. It shakes the system of social justice. The president’s term of office is sufficient for ensuring his own power, to spread his influence on internal politics. Thus, there is no time left to regulate and find solutions to the priority issues of the country. For instance, one of the priority issues is the population of the liberated areas. The whole world faces the issues of immigration, Armenia’s main and irresolvable issues is migration. This comes to prove that elections with minor violations may be fatal for the country. Everybody realizes it. But are there any prerequisites that anything will be changed during the upcoming elections? Tough social state and the complex of aging society makes us look like the hero of the story “A piece of meat” by Jack London, who was a boxer in extreme need. He prepares for tomorrow’s crucial battle. He eats his bread, having in mind a piece of meat. He loses the battle. And when he remembers the moments when his rival could hardly stand on his feet, when he was but a moment away from the desired victory, he is knocked down. He comes to a conclusion that he reason why he lost the battle was the lack of a piece of meat. In Armenia the situation is the same. The reason for society’s defeat and the government’s motivation to win the elections is nothing, but a piece of meat.
