Styopa Safarian: Electorate disappointed ahead of election

"2012 was a year of lingering conflicts”, member of Heritage Party Styopa Safarian said, when summing up this year at the meeting with journalists today.

In his words, the parliamentary elections failed to resolve the conflicts that have arisen between political forces. 
“The ruling party and Serzh Sargsyan did not stop short of using any methods in order to weaken the opposition front,” Safarian noted, citing examples of the so-called “Oskanian” affair, the subject of “kickbacks”, and so on.

As regards the political parties, he said the confrontation between Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) and Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) has ended quite early, and the BHK leader’s decision not to run in the presidential election has put Armenian National Congress (HAK) in a difficult position. “Today we see a situation when HAK is in a difficult position after losing a large part of its electorate”. 

According to Safarian, the nomination of Freedom Party leader Hrant Bagratian as a presidential candidate is not accidental and has one purpose – to win the votes of the electorate that HAK has lost.

Speaking about the nomination of Heritage Party leader Raffi Hovannisian, Styopa Safarian said that he is the only serious contestant among the candidates.

He did not share the opinion that the field is clear for Serzh Sargsyan. “There will be further developments in the field. I think both the candidates and their voters will become active”. 

In conclusion, S. Safarian said that the electorate is disappointed and confused ahead of the presidential election.