YEREVAN. – Armenian presidential contenders—opposition Freedom Party Chairman, former PM—Hrant Bagratyan—opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman—Paruyr Hayrikyan, and—opposition Heritage Party Chairman, former FM—Raffi Hovannisian released a statement and presented their shared concerns with respect to the forthcoming election.  

“Sadly, we have not yet been able to create the Armenia where the rule of law, the universal democratic standards, and national values prevail. This situation requires us to come up with several initiatives:

We find it necessary [for the authorities] to publicize the lists of the citizens [of Armenia] that are absent from the republic, of those—[and] in violation of Armenia’s Constitution—that are deprived of the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, so as to rule out the incidents of voting in lieu of the citizens that are absent from the country.    

All candidates must assume a responsibility to exclude the use of their administrative resource. The mode of action of mongering fear and of terrorizing the citizens that are working in the state system must be ruled out.    

At the same time, we consider it our duty to inform about our conviction that it is possible to change the current situation in our Motherland solely by way of consistent work and active struggle. So, we call upon all citizens of Armenia to participate in the presidential election to be conducted on February 18,” Bagratyan’s, Hayrikyan’s, and Hovannisian’s joint statement specifically reads.