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Elections in Armenia: votes of hopelessness

Armenia Materials 20 February 2013 14:41 (UTC +04:00)
Despite the fact the result of the presidential elections in Armenia was predictable, it still raises questions about why ordinary people, residents of the country lost all hope for change, or just is there no one else to choose?
Elections in Armenia: votes of hopelessness

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 20 / Trend /

Trend commentator Elmira Tariverdiyeva

Despite the fact the result of the presidential elections in Armenia was predictable, it still raises questions about why ordinary people, residents of the country lost all hope for change, or just is there no one else to choose?

Armenian incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan won the presidential elections. CEC has already counted votes in all constituencies and Sargsyan received 58.64 per cent of votes.

Even before the campaign, many called the elections in Armenia 'technical'. Several strong opposition parties refused to nominate their leaders for president as they initially distrusted the voting process. According to supporters of the president, they understood that they will not win.

The observers have noted that these elections were a step forward for Armenia. We could not but agree. As opposed to the previous elections when those protesting against Sargsyan's victory were killed on March 2, 2008, no one was shot in 2013. So far at least, no one ...

However the matter does not rest in the electoral process. Other matters are surprising. Why and for what merit did people vote for Sargsyan? What are the current authorities? What does an ordinary Armenian resident adhere to? There is no answer.

If one talks about the economic situation, Armenia has never been in such a deplorable situation during other presidents' office, as opposed to Sargsyan. According to a poll conducted by Gallup International Association in February 2013, as many as 35 per cent of voters evaluate the economic situation in the country as bad and 24 per cent as very bad, ARKA said.

As director of the Armenian office of Gallup International Association Aram Navasardyan stated, only three per cent of the population positively assesses the economic situation in Armenia.

However, Armenians somehow manage to survive due to private transfers from numerous relatives abroad. An increasing number of relatives overseas are apparently annoyed with feeding deteriorating Armenia, which leads to a huge migration from the country. Up to 90.000 people are leaving Armenia every year, and those who remain in the country are afraid to take responsibility of having children. Therefore a decrease in the population of the republic is not only caused by an outflow of population from the country, but also a decline in the birth rates, leading to serious demographic challenges.

As for the fact that the Armenians voted for stability by voting for such a weak government, the country's choice is questionable in this matter. The current government is doing everything to undermine stability in the region and send its citizens to certain death. Provocation of the Armenian authorities regarding flights over the territory of Azerbaijan, or settling Syrian refugees in the occupied territories can result in failure for Armenian residents. Therefore, there is nothing even close to stability.

So what did Armenians vote for? Most likely, they did not vote for anyone. They voted against common sense and out of despair. Furthermore, it is true that there was no one to vote for as half the candidates were even worse than the current president while the other half was simply incomprehensible. The Armenians voted for Sargsyan, knowing that in a year or two, they will certainly pack their suitcases and leave the 'great decaying country'.

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