“Georgian authorities are used to rigging elections”
Georgian authorities do not hurry to publicize the results of a municipal election held in Javakhk on May 30 which was to be announced earlier today.
"The silence means something is being plotted. Anyway, I do not think, the elections results will be invalidated for that reason," Armenian MP Shirak Torosyan, President of the "Javakhk Patriotic Union» told A1+.
According to preliminary data, President Mikheil Saakashvili's National Movement Party had a crushing victory in the Sunday vote.
Shirak Torosyan says Georgian elections never reflected the genuine moods in Javakhk. He is convinced that only 15% of eligible voters participated in the vote.
"Surely, the authorities will present a high turnout and declare the pro-government candidate as a winner," said Torosyan.
According to Mr. Torosyan, the indifference of Javakh residents to elections is conditioned by a few factors. One the one hand, people have left abroad in search of better working conditions. On the other hand, they do not have confidence in the state and authorities.
"A few candidates have come to power over the last years but none of them has cared to better life I the region. None of the candidates running in the municipal election presented his pre-election program to the public. When asked about their programs, the candidates simply said their work spoke of their activity," said Mr. Torosyan.
"Georgian authorities always pretend to be concerned about minority issues. In fact, Javakhi Armenians are displeased with the authorities' policy. They frequently violate citizens' rights."
Does it mean that the Georgian authorities are used to rigging elections in Javakh?
In reply to A1+, Mr. Torosyan gave a positive answer.
