YEREVAN—The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia issued a statement on Friday urging voters to not cast their ballot for President Serzh Sarkisian.
“As an oppositional force, we urge all of you to go to the polls, not vote for the ruling power’s candidate, vote according to your conscience or preference or make your ballot invalid,” said the ARF statement.
Below is the translated text of the statement as provided by the ARF Press Office in Yerevan:
Fellow citizens,
You are well aware of the reasons ARF-D didn’t nominate a candidate for the presidential elections of the Republic of Armenia; our efforts to form a unified political agenda and to have a joint oppositional candidate didn’t deliver results. Under these circumstances, participating in a procedure with a predetermined ending would be senseless. The pre-electoral process also is indicative of these elections’ quality.
But, after the February 18th elections, life will go on, the issues that concern our people will still be on the agenda and we are confident that the Armenian society will find the strength to bring radical changes. Sooner or later conducting free, fair and competitive elections will become possible.
We urge you to go to the polls on February 18 and not allow the final discrediting of that institution or the use of your voice for the reproduction of the ruling power. In the end, s democratic Armenia will emerge through democratic elections. As an oppositional force, we urge all of you to go to the polls, not vote for the ruling power’s candidate, vote according to your conscience or preference or make your ballot invalid.
ARF-D with its declared political platform will keep fighting to reverse the atmosphere of mistrust and disappointment, to put the state on the track of normal development and to provide the citizens a life of well-being and dignity.
ARF Supreme Council of Armenia
Sounds like sour grapes from a party that failed to even field a candidate.
“the final discrediting of that institution” Neroghoutyoun payts ays khoske lriv tadargoutyoun e!!!!1995 en iver endroutyounnere geghdzevadz yergri me endroutyan hamagarke vaghouts voyevitse mi heghinagoudtyounits inkzinke zrgadz e.
ARF says NO to Sarkisian,whereas Aram I gave the highest Cilician medal to corrupt Serzh which was a monumental mistake on the part of Aram I, which has dented his reputation immensely.
Would we want to accept the term Medz Yeghern with territorial and financial compensation or insist on the word Genocide with never ever Turkey accepting the word Genocide and consequently no reparations.
Think about it!
Time is on their side. The diaspora is weakening because of decline of nationalism and assimilation. The Homeland is barely surviving. One strategic political error, like pissing off Iran or Russia by a western bought Armenian politician can tip the balance of power in favor of the arch enemy.
We are barely three million in the homeland surrounded by 10 million Azeris in Azerbaijan, another 20 million Azeris in northwestern Iran and 50 million Turks in Turkey, and another five to six million Turks in Europe. Turkey has become a financial regional leader with unemployment rate much lower than that of Armenia.
Think about it, seven million Armenia Diaspora raised around 5 million dollars( if one excluded the large contributions from Russian Armenian oligarchs). That is tentamount to less than a dollar per person per year. I call it dismal. A nation who gives less than a dollar/person/year to his struggling homeland has no right to be a nation.
youre not understanding the point. “genocide” is a legal term, meds yeghern isnt. youre not going to get any compansation for “a great calamity”…anything could be a great calamity, youre going to have to use proper terminology in court
ARF’s stance on the presidential elections of 2013 has been utterly puzzling.
– On one hand they disagree with the president’s policies but do not put forward a candidate to challenge the current president.
– They advise voters not to vote for the incumbent president but do not support the candidacy of any other presidential hopeful.
– They bring about 7-point election platform and call for the president to accept them for ARF’s support, knowing full well the president was not going to agree to at least 1 of them, the recalling of the Zurich agreement. This was ARF’s way of guarantying (in their thinking) the prevention of a backlash from the public for their amateurish, if not disjointed attitude towards these election…and how the ARF would get out of it “cleanly”.
-Finally, the ARF thinks people are too stupid to figure this out.
I agree with you Zareh regarding the nation who gives less to a struggling homeland. They will never accept the genocide and we will never get those lands back. Those lands were lost when the Ottoman Empire expanded throughout Armenia 600 years ago. The Ottomans came, conquered and expanded. Its common sense, the strong wins. We will never see those lands in the next 1 million years. Lets just enjoy our lives in America.
@Mike,
I agree with you that the Turks will never accept the term Genocide, bu I respectfully disagree with you about not getting the lands back.
Looking back at history the Asia Minor lands were taken back and forth many times between the Persians, The Romans, the Byzantine Empire and recently by the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire. Always remember that the vast majority of the historic Armenian lands are inhabited by Kurds. In the final analysis we will have a problem with the people who really inhabit those lands and not Turkey. I can tell you if I were a Turk and if I was forced to give the lands back I would give more to the Armenians than to the Kurds. Turkey is well aware that those lands will be lost. The Kurds are of bigger number than Armenians. Kurds represent more of a threat to the existence of Turkey itself than Armenians. Armenians are more peace-loving than Kurds. Kurds are more military minded and violent than Armenians.
Armenians have no claims other than their historic lands and recognition of the Genocide. Our strategy should be returning the lands even at the expense of losing on the term Genocide.
Politics is the art of compromise. Gul knew very well why he came to Armenia. He came to tell that Turks will eventually live side by side with the Armenians. And of course we will live side by side with the Turks. Fifty million Turks are not going back to Mongolia.
I will sure accept return of territories without Turks accepting the term Genocide.
Mer nbadage khaghogh oudel e, te aykebane dzedzel?
Arzhanni ae AVELIOV!!!
It’s very well saying don’t vote for S. Sarkisian, but they should at least nominate /support another candidate, otherwise it’s just confusing voters. Is this because there really isn’t any viable alternative?
If Armenians accept METS YEGHERN a term equivalent to genocide it will change nothing in Turky’s attitiude towards this issue….
Turkey’s position will not change and will never accept to provide any kind of compansation simply Because USA continues her support assessing turkey a very important ally and a NATO membre in return Turks highly confident of themselves will continue their negational polycies towards Armenian issues let’s wait and see if France ill successfully introduce the CRIMINALISATION BILL unfortunately the USA continues to PROVIDE IT’S BACKING to turkey neglecting the Armenian efforts….
It seems an exercise in Hubris to declare oneself an oppositional force while unable to field a candidate. An oppositional force with such a low level of support is hardly an opposition. The guidance to not exercise the voting franchise is undemocratic and un-Armenian.