YEREVAN. – The climate of the 2013 Armenian presidential election, which was conducted on February 18, differs from all the others, and the country’s opposition, which is led by opposition Heritage Party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian—who is declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote—, plays a significant role in this. Ruling Republican Party (RPA) MP Artak Davtyan said this during a press conference on Monday, and noted that, in this sense, Hovannisian should be thanked.  

“I thank him because Raffi Hovannisian’s speeches are full of kindness, and they inspire the citizenry with a hope toward the future,” Davtyan said.  

As for Hovannisian’s demand for the power to be returned to the people, the RPA representative noted that Hovannisian is not a superhuman and that sensitiveness is not the best of guides. He also noted that Hovannisian’s votes should be preserved, in terms of the forthcoming capital city Yerevan Council and the local self-government elections.

Davtyan also expressed a hope that the Heritage leader would not become a prisoner of his own words and will continue on his path.

The RPA MP is confident that the election fraud, which was committed on February 18, could not have impacted the voting results. He backed up his words by noting that all Heritage representatives at the electoral commissions had signed the final protocols of the election, and added that he does not understand the grounds whereby statements are made that claim Hovannisian is the real winner.    

Artak Davtyan also noted that Raffi Hovannisian won in the communities where the local authorities had made errors and, as a result, the local residents had formed a respective negative attitude against those authorities.     

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am