“AUTHORITIES WERE NOT READY FOR MARCH 1”
Support A1+!“The opposition was ready for the March 1 events while the authorities were not,” ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margarian said today at the 30th Congress of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. “The reasons for the authorities' unreadiness are still to be revealed,” he says.
“Obviously, the clash was favourable for outer forces and for people who dislike their homeland and people. The clash weakened the country and opened a way for an outside intervention. Moreover, the clash endangered the country's reputation, security and self-confidence to protect national interests on an international level. We couldn't sit around twiddling our thumbs during the events.” And to save the country the ARF entered into the coalition memorandum.
Hrant Margarian says that the tension of the pre-election period resulted in mutual hostility and the conflicting sides began defaming each other through all possible methods. “The tense atmosphere worsened and polarized still more. The former and acting authorities fought a ceaseless struggle during the election. Those who complained of the former leadership voted for the acting ones and the vice versa. They helped each other securing votes and threatening innocent people,” says Margarian.
He compared the March 1 occurrences with those of September 1996. They were both accompanied by bloody clashes. The key actor in both cases was the same person-in the first case as a president while in the second as an oppositionist. I don't want to bind you with my opinion. But one thing is evident-all elections are conducted in a tense and polarized atmosphere. “We descended on the arena as an alternative force to the authorities and the opposition.”
