Serzh Sargsyan is not a friend of Dashnaktsutyun
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Dashnaktsutyun is the third major force in Armenia not to contest the 2013 presidential election. Aghvan Vardanyan, a senior representative of the party's Supreme Body says there is no need to rig similar elections though ‘Dashnaktsutyun knows people who would try to.'
On Tuesday evening the Supreme Body convened a meeting to decide the format of the party's participation in February's election.
Forty-five speeches were made at the meeting with most of the attendees suggesting that the party should not nominate a candidate in the election.
To participate in the election, the results of which are predetermined, would mean to become a part of a well-thought-out scenario. Among the reasons, the party also cited the corrupt election practice in Armenia, as well as shadow economy.
The party representatives confess that they have been unable to teach people to make a righteous choice during the elections. Nor have been able to unite the political forces.
"They wanted us to support their candidates - something inadmissible for us as we announced from the very beginning that we are not interested in personalities," said Arsen Hambardzumyan, another representative of the party's Supreme Body.
The party does not exclude the possibility of supporting other candidates, but it cannot be the pro-government candidate.
Though Dashnaktsutyun is not going to boycott the elections, it will actively participate in the campaign, maintaining its slogan chosen during the parliamentary elections: "We are your friend!"
