Arman Melikyan meets voters at barber’s shop
One of the eight presidential hopefuls in Armenia Arman Meilkyan today met reporters to summarize the first week of the presidential campaign.
Although Mr Melikyan did not hold campaign rallies, he did not feel ‘lack of communication with the voters.' The candidate says he held numerous indoor and outdoor meetings, including a barber's shop.
During today's news conference, Melikyan said he had understood within a week the electoral tactics of the other candidates.
"Unfortunately, none of the presidential candidates proposed ways to ensure the legitimacy of the upcoming polls. This is the main problem our authorities have to cope with," said the former Karabakh foreign minister.
He cannot understand why Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian, National Self-Determination Union Chairman Paruyr Hayrikyan and former Prime Minister and leader of the Liberty Party Hrant Bagratyan did not question the legitimacy of election.
"They are simply turning a blind eye to the election fraud," he said adding that the other candidates have resorted to extreme forms of struggle. He cited the example of Andrias Ghukasyan who has staging an open-ended hunger strike outside the National Academy of Sciences since Monday.
"I do not consider hunger strike to be an effective method. It is simply a manifestation of political disappointment," he said.
Earlier in the week Arman Melikyan said that he suspended his campaigning and did not rule out that he would withdraw from the race later on. The Central Election Commission (CEC) had rejected Melikyan's request for the publication of a list of persons who have left Armenia.
