650 000 supporters of Yes is not a great number, says lawmaker (video)
All high-ranking officials led by Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan who will head the headquarters of the Yes camp will prepare for the upcoming referendum after work. Vahram Baghdasarian, the head of the HHK parliamentary faction, says no one can use his position or status for campaign purposes. Two members of the headquarters, Hovhannes Hovsepyan and Levon Yolyan, have serious levers to control all state agencies. The opposition already has fears that the referendum will be rigged on the level of the presidential administration. “It is the role of the opposition to oppose,” said Mr Baghdasaryan. Mikael Melkumyan of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) says the members of the headquarters that will run Yes campaign for constitutional amendment includes ordinary people. “They are ordinary people like us and do not differ from us,” he said. “They are influential people who but they o not possess administrative levers.” The businesses belonging to the family of republican lawmaker Hakob Hakobyan, one of the supporters of the Yes camp, has recently been fined in the amount of AMD 650 million. Today, he annulled the fine in court. Hakobyan is convinced that the headquarters cannot pressurize voters. Armen Rustamyan, Head of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun faction, advises all political forces who fear that elections may be rigged by the Yes headquarters to have 2000 representatives in constituencies to exclude electoral fraud. “If you leave a polling station out of control, the ruling party can do whatever it wants,” Mr Rustamyan said adding that 650 000 supporters of the Yes camp is not a great number. “Administrative resources give about 22-25 percent advantage and are enough to exclude the other, let me say, rough and criminal methods of fraud,” he said in conclusion.
