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YEREVAN. – Armenia’s opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman Paruyr Hayrikyan—who is recovering at hospital from a gunshot wound after a recent assassination attempt—is the presidential candidate that has received the most media coverage so far. Opposition Heritage Party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian is second, Yerevan Press Club President Boris Navasardyan informed during a press conference on Friday.
Third in this list is the ruling Republican Party candidate, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, and the fourth is opposition Freedom Party Chairman Hrant Bagratyan. In the case of the other four presidential hopefuls, however, it is just that the number of events involving them is small.
Navasardyan noted that, prior to the election campaign, Sargsyan was covered by the media as the serving president, but during the campaign, he is primarily covered as a presidential candidate.
Also, the Yerevan Press Club president noted that the Armenian media that were monitored did not display any discrimination against, or an openly biased approach toward, the contenders during the time period between the candidates’ formal registration and the start of the election campaign.
Boris Navasardyan added that they also contacted the campaign headquarters of the presidential candidates and the headquarters’ representatives likewise had only some complaints about the media.
As per Navasardyan, the shortcoming that was recorded during the monitoring, however, is the absence of debates and of clash of opinions.
