Within the past 3-4 days all the more or less influential government officials have made statements about their determination to punish electoral violations. Today it was Aghvan Hovsepyan, the general prosecutor of Armenia, saying “no person having made electoral infringement will be left without liability“. President Kocharyan made a statement about being prepared to punish violators the other day. Interestingly, opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian has been promising to punish those interfering and creating obstacles to his campaign much earlier then anyone. In the mean time, there are already reports of electoral bribes being handed out in Vanadzor.
Since the claims are, that the bribes are handed out by supporters of Serzh Sargsyan, whom President Kocharyan is endorsing as his successor, and as Aghvan Hovsepyan is clearly dependent on Serzh Sargsyan, candidate, prime minister and head of parliamentary majority, which decides on how much budget the Prosecutor’s office should get, I wonder who will investigate the matter and punish those violators anyway? Sargsyan, Kocharian, Hovsepyan, Ter-Petrossian or somebody else?
PS: I always thought it should have been the job of regular citizens to reject bribes, report them to police… …and I always dreamed, that one day the Armenia police would be independent and just enough to take necessary action without the need for high flown words from President, Prosecutor or anybody else.
Artur Papyan
Journalist, blogger, digital security and media consultant