If the poll was conducted this Sunday, 55% of the enfranchised would participate in it. 38% of the voters would cast their ballot in favor of Serge Sargsyan, 13% – for Raffi Hovhannisyan, 12%- for Arthur Baghdasaryan, 8% – Artashes Geghamyan, 6% – Levon Ter-Petrosyan, 5% – Vazgen Manukyan, 4% – Gagik Tsarukyan and 4% – Vahan Hovhannisyan. Aram Karapetyan would receive 1%.

[...]

According to the survey results, Serge Sargsyan is the best presidential candidate to deal with the problems Armenia faces. 28% consider he can best solve the issue of unemployment. 20% think Arthur Baghdasaryan can solve it. 19% trust Raffi Hovhannisyan, 6% – Levon Ter-Petrosyan and 3% – Armen Rustamyan.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter who wins. If Serzh wins fair and square that’s how it is. Same with any other candidate. Just please, let people decide and determine their choice on where the candidates stand on certain issues and not based on partisan media outlets and analysts who spread unsubstantiated rumors as to who is in who’s pocket and so on.

Often, such gossip is spread by those against specific candidates rather than represent any real analysis. I’ve already heard it about Orinats Yerkir and Heritage now they’re in parliament and I saw some of civil society actively work against them in order to push the radical opposition forwards in the hope of some kind of revolution during the parliamentary election.

If you want democracy in this country it’s simple. Let people make their choice and let them make an informed decision. That advice is directed a the government, opposition and “political analysts” who materialize in their dozens at such times — and all with different things to say because there is no such thing as independent and objective analysis here.

For once, everybody please, let’s just try to have a normal election where political maturity is raised to a far higher level than it’s currently at. Let’s talk about Baghdasarian’s platform, along with all the other candidates, and what they’ve said in the past and whether they followed through. Let them be democratically elections and accountable, but dividing the opposition is NOT going to achieve that.

To be honest, who cares? Simply put, let people get their names on the ballot and let the voters choose. Meanwhile, perhaps someone will know accuse Armen Badalyan of being in the pay of someone who doesn’t want Baghdasarian to run. Anyone can say pretty much anything they want, and they generally do.

There’s no evidence provided, but people spread it because they want to destroy a possible candidate even if he or she is guilty or not of what they’re accused of.

Tired of this shit. Is it any wonder that there’s no democracy in Armenia and the authorities manage to reproduce themselves constantly. Someone said that Armenia will get the president and government the people deserve. Perhaps I’d add the same is true for civil society and the opposition.

Let’s try and make this election different, guys. Forget rumors, gossip, personalities and everything else. For once can’t we just have a mature discussion about issues and problems facing Armenia and their possible solution? Until then, plain and simple, the way this is going, Serzh will be president if only because the alternatives and their supporters are too busy slinging mud at each other.

And in such a situation, perhaps that’s what would be best for this country until a mature political discussion emerges. In the meantime, perhaps someone will post some information on Badalyan’s credentials, what he’s said in the past, and more importantly, whether he’s aligned to one political grouping or not and whether anything he’s ever said in the past about a candidate has actually been true.

Meanwhile, the situation is thus from reading some blogs.

Levon Ter Petrosian is the agent of the oligarchs
Levon Ter Petrosian is the agent of Kocharian and Serzh
Artur Baghdasarian is the agent of Kocharian and Serzh
Raffi Hovannisian and Artur Baghdasarian are working for the government
Aram Karapetyan is working for the Russians and the government
Geghamian is working for Serzh

Jesus, man, it’s simple. On the basis of such immature speculation spread without evidence and instead of talking about issues, there is only one choice for president. Serzh Sarkisian, and if he wins I don’t want to hear those opposed to him whine and moan. Simply put, they’ll be as responsible as any falsification on election day.

The interview with Badalyan is here

http://www.echannel.am/?topic_id=946&PHPSESSID=54e91a77cd76f606ff6b96039e587b0e&lang=en

This has been the situation in the past, and I assume it will be the same next year too unless the OSCE’s hands are really tied i.e. they will be prevented from issuing a statement before the official CEC results are declared. Anyway, with or without Geghamian’s boycott, Demirchian and co took a LOT of people out onto the streets — perhaps 40-45,000 (massive in Armenian terms).

This will be the objective of the opposition this time round as well, so in a sense, what matters more will be which ONE candidate all the others rally around in a second round. I’m sure that the authorities do want to split the opposition vote, but the main challenge facing Ter Petrosian, Baghdasarian and anyone else who runs against Sarkisian is not getting so embroiled in fighting among themselves that they allow a first round victory by Sarkisian.

I mean, of course, if that first round victory is attained by falsification and vote buying. If it’s a relatively clean vote by Armenian standards, that’s another matter entirely.

They divide not only the opposition but also the opposition vote. Divide and conquer, basically. That’s what I think it’s more all about. A united or common opposition candidate is not what the authorities want.

Of course, this does not mean that the candidates are working with the authorities. Let us remember first of all that some even suggested Levon Ter Petrosian’s nomination was put forward to work for the government and against the opposition.

Too much paranoia here, but the idea that by allowing a broad spectrum of opposition candidates to run will of course work in Sarkisian’s favour. This was the same tactic used by Kocharian in the 2003 election.