YEREVAN (Yerkir)–Armenian Presidential Candidate and ARF Bureau Member Vahan Hovannesian released Friday his official campaign platform. Below is Candidate Hovannesian’s letter to Armenia’s citizens introducing his platform with a brief analysis of and prescription for Armenia’s current socio-political and economic situation.
Dear citizen of the Republic of Armenia,
Our country has to enter an entirely new stage of its development. The government, political, economic and public realities that were formed since independence and until now do not ensure necessary progress any more. The external and internal challenges that our state faces, the challenges that are dictated by the necessity for development as well as the disparity between what the constitution envisions and the real life situation in Armenia requires serious and large-scale systematic changes.
We have to create prerequisites for a strong and stable development of the country. We have to give a new and a fresh breath to all the sectors of life in Armenia. We must create an environment in which every citizen trusts that their future and the future of their friends and family are secure. A society is needed, where our citizens feel confident that they have a role to play in shaping their futures.
By nominating my candidacy, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation has sent a clear message to the country. The party is vigorously participating in the presidential election and it is determined to be a vehicle for progress and change in Armenia. We are organized; we have the will and determination to lead our people’s historic march toward a New Armenia, toward a free and fair society.
We believe in the creative potential of a fair country and its free citizens. The misunderstanding of liberal ideas and their extreme implementation, the negligence and failure to create a state able to provide for the social welfare of its population, the reduction of the state’s role in regulating the free market have all resulted in an economic system where the state is ruled by oligarchs. They have monopolized the most lucrative sectors of the economy, have established an economic system, which lacks competition and serves only to advance their own interests.
These monopoly forces have ceased to be merely an economic phenomenon. They have decisive influence on all aspects of Armenian society: from the state and constitutional system to the very values of society. This group has been securing its continuity by spending vast funds and exploiting the administrative resources of the government. The consequences of their actions are currently being witnessed throughout the country, halting the development of the political system. Groups of wealthy people who have political power often put themselves above the law and ignore the state order of the country, violate human rights and freedoms, and preventing the establishment of democratic traditions and culture in Armenia. By exercising enormous pressure and buying votes they control the fate of Armenia’s financially dependent and insecure voters.
Uninterested in the implementation of effective business methods, they are brining the social gap to threatening levels and excluding any possibility of reaching a social equilibrium, in which wealth is properly distributed throughout the country. They are making social life in Armenia’stagnate and stopping the country’s progress by severely altering the normal economic activities of the country for their benefit.
I will work to do away with the hate and enmity of the current political leaders in Armenia. My principle is not to confront others but prove that we are more sustainable and fair. My campaign looks toward the future.
My goal is to build a fair country of free citizens through systematic, healthy, progressive and stable changes. Armenia’s independence and sovereignty are absolute values for me. Only by bringing our efforts together can we have the homeland our ancestors dreamed of-a homeland not only for our generation, but for posterity as well. I have the determination to reach this goal. I need your votes you’re your trust.
Sincerely,
Your old friend Vahan Hovannesian
