Sociologist observes “disassembling” inside parties
The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) has lost many of its potential voters while expressing willingness to engage in a political dialogue with the authorities, says sociologist Aharon Adibekyan.
HAK is currently trying to attract the 15 percent of voters who are still undecided about their preferred candidate.
"The whole election campaign is based on the principle of "catching stray votes." If HAK is able to persuade that they will win the elections, the number of its supporters will rise to 30% and even more," Adibekyan told a news conference on June 13.
The sociologist says that HAK is leaving its radical opposition berth and shifting towards centrist positions, since it realized that social unrest cannot yield fruitful results.
Electioneering on social discontent has no prospect, he said.
"By this shift HAK will lose up to two-thirds of its supporters, but instead will have a prospect of winning 20-25 percent of the vote," said Adibekyan.
The sociologist expects a heated struggle during the next elections not only between the HAK and authorities but also within these two forces.
"This will lead to more democratic and fair elections, with the participation of different political parties and significant reduction of fraud risk," he stressed.
At this pre-election stage the sociologist observes "disassembling" inside parties.
