On The Campaign Trail: Serge Sargsyan

Today marked a welcome change — a morning call from E-Channel’s Gegham Vardanian alerting me to a pre-election campaign rally by the prime minister and presidential favorite, Serge Sargsyan, in the Massiv district of Yerevan. As this blog has almost entirely focused on the campaign by the former president, Levon Ter-Petrossian, the opportunity to photograph and observe some of the other candidates in action was very much welcomed despite the weather.

It should also be pointed out that this blog and E-Channel have agreed to voluntarily cooperate with the sharing of information and materials for the 19 February presidential election in Armenia. With the media becoming more politicized than it’s ever been in Armenia, finding more neutral sources of news and triangulating it with eye witness accounts as well as other reports from a variety of sources has become the only way to get a clear picture of the situation these days.

Thankfully, a few media outlets were in attendance. In amongst the dozen TV cameras and other journalists covering the event, RFE/RL was one of them although it’s worth pointing out that A1 Plus put the number of those in attendance at “over a thousand” while E-Channel put it at “1,000.”

Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian pledged to turn Armenia into a “brilliant country” and responded to intensifying verbal attacks from former President Levon Ter-Petrosian as he took his election campaign to Yerevan on Friday.

Sarkisian spent a large part of his speech at a campaign rally in the city’s northern Nor Nork suburb condemning the “malicious” discourse of his most bitter opposition challenger.

“But I am asking you not to succumb to provocations, not to respond to malice with malice because our aim is not just to garner many votes,” he told several hundred people who gathered in front of a local church. “Our aim is to move Armenia forward after the elections … It is never possible to do good things with malice.”

Somewhat encouragingly given the pro-opposition stance of the media outlet, A1 Plus was also present and veteran reporter Victoria Abrahamyan provides a quite balanced report on the event. As has become common for the Republican party, the political meeting started and ended with a pop concert by some of Armenia’s top pop stars, and most notably Shushan Petrossian and Forsh.

Again raising serious concerns about her role as the local UNICEF local Goodwill Ambassador, Alla Levonyan also got involved with domestic politics by performing. Moreover, despite a prohibition on officials openly campaigning on behalf of candidates, so too did Yerevan’s Mayor, Yervand Zakarian.

Serzh Sarkissian was escorted by Yerevan Mayor Erwand Zakharian and head of the Cultural Department at Yerevan Municipality Onik Vatian. They both joined the Armenian Premier at working hours.

It is due to mention that the meeting participants arrived at the venue by buses N22.

When we asked one of the drivers where they were heading, the latter said, “Don’t get on the bus. The bus is ordered. We are going to Jrvej (a village in Kotayk Marz).

A1 Plus also posts a short video of the pre-election campaign meeting while E-Channel notes that despite the pop concert, few of those in attendance actually seemed interested in it. As Sargsyan left, most of those in attendance swarmed around him, handing him notes or asking him questions. To his credit, and quite unlike Ter-Petrossian’s campaign in Yerevan, security did nothing to keep people or media at a distance.

He urged to go for elections and vote in favor of the person who they trust. “Yes, I need your ballots. They may call it asking or begging for ballots but it is not a shame to ask from the people,” the prime minister said. The candidate ended his speech with the slogan Go, ahead, Armenia!

When the prime minister was about to leave, voters started approaching him and conveying letters. Felix Khachatryan was telling the leaving people, “Return, our concert is going on. Forsh is singing.”

Accompanying the prime minister was his new advisor, the young Levon Martirossian. Known more for his famous comedian brother and position in MIAK, Martirossian is also quite vocal in his calls for second-generation reform in Armenia. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Sargsyan’s election manifesto makes specific mention of the need for such reform, perhaps suggesting that Martirossian had a hand in drafting it.

Even so, while opinion polls are constantly challenged by opposition candidates and supporters in civil society and the media, it is believed that Sargsyan can not count on more than 30 percent genuine support in the country. And just as the spectre of Sargsyan gaining the presidency forms most of the basis for Ter-Petrossian’s campaign rhetoric, the prime minister is no different when it comes to using the former president albeit through third-parties.

If we pay attention to the provisions of the election platform presented by Serzh Sargsyan, as well as the technological focuses targeting his image-formation, the slogan promoted by the candidate is perceived in the context of his image as a guarantee of “unity, solidarity, stability and well-being.”

Serzh Sargsyan’s super-task is about being free from the competition with their main opponents, through eliminating the pre-conditions for forming such opponents. The mutual accusations and wars of compromises started inside the opposition, such as the contradictions between Levon Ter-Petrossian – Artashes Geghamyan, Ter-Petrossian – Vazgen Manukyan, Artashes Geghamyan – Arthur Baghdasaryan, first of all have been emerging from Serzh Sargsyan’s interests – he is being perceived as somebody that has been observing everything from the side and never participating.

Meanwhile, a huge section of society is undecided or are considering their choices from perhaps five main candidates — Sargsyan, Ter-Petrossian, Vahan Hovannisian, Artur Baghdasarian, and Vazgen Manukian. For now though, and despite misgivings about the use of administrative resources, Sargsyan still appears to be in the dominant position although we’re less than a week into the pre-election campaign.

However, as RFE/RL reports, an opposition Heritage (Zharangutyun) spokesperson signaled that the country is still unsure as to who to elect so the chance of a first round victory by any of the candidates on offer can pretty much be ruled out. Apart from Sargsyan and Ter-Petrossian’s campaign teams who claim a first round victory for their respective candidate is inescapable, this seems to be the consensus of opinion among most observers.

Zharangutyun believes no presidential candidate, including Sarkisian, is popular enough to score a first-round victory. “If that happens, it will be obvious to us that the elections were rigged,” he said.

Indeed, as mentioned many times on this blog, with most Armenians unhappy about the choice presented by pro-Sargsyan and pro-Ter-Petrossian activists of the prime minister and former president being the main candidates, it means that there’s everything to play for. In short, the pre-election campaign is looking to be quite unlike any other in Armenia’s albeit short recent history.

Talking of which, next up on this blog should be Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) candidate, Vahan Hovannisian.

Photos © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008