Early elections not to address problems until a voter changes

March 23, 2010 - 19:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Early elections are possible only when the political crisis in the country cannot be overcome.

"ARF does not rule out such a prospect, but the question of which political force and what program come to power through elections is more important to us," Armen Rustamyan , representative of the ARF Dasnaktsutyun Supreme Body told a news conference in Yerevan jointly held with the vice-president of Socialist International Mary Titizian.

"If we are not yet ready to hold normal elections, I am personally against the idea of early elections, as they will only "correct" the mistakes of the authorities, that is, nothing would change for the better," Mr. Rustamyan said.

According to him, the Armenian society is not yet understood the value of their vote. "f a voter sells his voice, he has no right to complain about the corruption in the country,"Armen Rustamyan explained.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis (Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia) in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian The ARF has the largest number of members from the political parties present in the Armenian Diaspora, having established affiliates in more than 200 countries.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun led the effort toward the establishment of the first Armenian Republic in 1918 and was the party in power for the duration of its existence. Following the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun was banned by the Communists and its leadership exiled.

In the Diaspora, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun fought Soviet rule over Armenia and championed the cause of Armenian rights and independence; it played a leading role in organizing a social and cultural framework aimed at preserving the Armenian identity.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun officially re-emerged in Armenia during the dissolution of the USSR, in 1990.

On December 28, 1994, the activities of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun were "temporarily suspended" by the Armenian authorities. In view of the political nature of the anti-ARF interdictions by the Armenian authorities, the ARF continued to operate in Armenia. On February 9, 1998, less than a week after the resignation of the then president Ter-Petrossian, the Justice Ministry lifted the ban on the ARF Dashnaktsutyun.

Prior to Serzh Sargsyan's election as president of Armenia and for a short time thereafter, the ARF was a member of the governing coalition, even though it nominated its own candidate in the presidential elections.