DASHNAKS DRAW 10,000 IN FIRST MAJOR YEREVAN RALLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000109 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM AM SUBJECT: DASHNAKS DRAW 10,000 IN FIRST MAJOR YEREVAN RALLY REF: A. YEREVAN 102 ¶B. YEREVAN 90 ¶C. YEREVAN 89 ¶D. YEREVAN 86 Classified By: CDA JOSEPH PENNINGTON, REASONS 1.4 B/D. -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On February 8, presidential candidate Vahan Hovannisian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) held his first major rally in Yerevan, drawing approximately 8,000-10,000 supporters whom the party bussed in from around the country . Under a heavy police presence, considerably heavier than those visible at the recent rallies of opposition rivals Levon Ter-Petrossian and Artur Baghdassarian, Dashnak leaders and Hovanissian urged voters to reject Armenia's current and former leaders on February 19 and vote instead for Vahan Hovanissian. Hovanissian promised to unite the two different Armenias that have emerged after independence -- an alleged superficial Armenia where privileged leaders benefit from shallow economic growth, and a second Armenia where downtrodden ordinary citizens have lost hope in justice and their own future. The well-organized rally ended peacefully, with supporters dancing to traditional Armenian music after Hovanissian finished his comparatively brief half-hour of remarks. END SUMMARY. -------------- - RURAL SUPPORTERS BUSSED TO RALLY -- FOR MONEY? -------------- - ¶2. (SBU) In marked contrast with the urban-dominated demographic of supporters at rallies recently held in Yerevan's Freedom Square by presidential rivals Levon Ter-Petrossian (LTP) and Artur Baghdassarian (AB),supporters of Dashnak candidate Vahan Hovanissian hailed predominantly from the countryside. With heavily tanned faces, dark village attire, and sturdy physical constitutions, the largely male, middle-aged supporters came from as far away as Noyemberian, a city located three hours' drive away in Armenia's northeast corner. The Embassy got a glimpse of the influx of supporters, as 2,000-3,000 of them convoyed past the embassy in buses, taxi vans and individual cars early in the afternoon. PolOffs later had a hard time reaching the rally with two of the city's main boulevards congested by row upon row of buses. ¶3. (SBU) On Saturday morning, February 9, the opposition daily Aravot (Morning) published what it called a compromising photograph of Hrant Margarian, the top leader of the Dashnak party, as he gave money to an unidentified man. The photo was reportedly taken before the start of the rally on February 8. The daily said the man approached Margarian to be paid for bringing a busload of supporters to the rally. Aravot said Margarian ended up paying the individual 20,000 Armenian Drams (approximately USD 66) after the latter balked at the 10,000 drams initially offered him. (COMMENT: Aravot's implication is that they have caught Margarian in something seedy, although it's not clear to us that this was anything more sinister than paying the bus driver for the transportation services provided. END COMMENT) -------------- -------------- DASHNAKS URGE VOTERS TO MAKE ELECTION 3-PERSON RACE -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Criticizing both Prime Minister Serzh Sargsian and ex-President Levon Ter-Petrossian, Dashnak leaders who joined presidential candidate Vahan Hovannisian at the rally urged voters to say "no to both." Trying to refute the widespread perception that the current race is now between only Sargsian and LTP, Dashnak speakers argued that both regimes were to blame for the country's stunted economic development, the lack of democracy, and the absence of the rule of law. Hovannisian accused LTP of "hiding" his own former regime's sins to try to manipulate voters' sympathies by stirring up bitter animosity towards the current one. He also assailed the authorities for responding to LTP's political games with the "same hatred," declaring it a sign of their own weakness. -------------- TIME TO END THE DIVISION OF TWO ARMENIAS YEREVAN 00000109 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Hovannisian also said it was time to end the division of Armenians between privileged, corrupt rulers and downtrodden, ordinary citizens who have lost hope in their or their government's ability to improve their future standard of living. "Seemingly the county is developing," he said, but in reality "there is an unfree and unjust atmosphere." He added that Armenia's economic development which has benefited the privileged rich "has nothing in common with ordinary people," and that the "country's leaders and ordinary people live in two different worlds that are unrelated" to each other. Hovannisian pledged he would "return trust in justice" to Armenian citizens if elected president. ¶6. (SBU) On February 7, Hovannisian made a somewhat controversial comment in his reply to a JOURNALIST from the independent online news agency A1 Plus when he suggested vote falsification could jeopardize stability in the country after the vote. When asked whether civil war could result from a first-round victory by Prime Minister Sargsian, Hovannisian replied that, "It depends on the results of the first round. If they are not rigged, then no civil war will break out." -------------- -------------- POLICE PRESENCE -- FOR OR AGAINST A COALITION PARTNER? -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) PolOffs who have attended most of the campaign rallies held by presidential candidates in Yerevan's Freedom Square were taken aback by the much heavier police presence at the Dashnak rally. In contrast with recent LTP and Baghdassarian rallies held in the same square with larger numbers of supporters in attendance, scores of police -- many of whom appeared to be officers -- lined the egresses of the square where most supporters entered and exited. Many of them also came inside the square during the rally, but remained on the periphery where they observed rally participants. Police numbers had been much smaller at other rallies, where the police did not enter the square. ¶8. (SBU) The police presence was all the more remarkable given the fact that the Dashnaks are affiliated in a power-sharing agreement with the ruling coalition (whereas LTP and Baghdassarian are bitter opponents of the ruling regime). (COMMENT: The increased police presence might have been the result of a violent incident that occurred in the town of Artashat on February 6 when government-affiliated bystanders assaulted LTP supporters during a rally in which the ex-President issued a derogatory attack against the local ruler of the area who happens to be one of the government's most powerful -- and wealthy -- ministers. Or, perhaps the Dashnaks inspire nervousness by bringing in such a large number of burly-shouldered farm workers from the provinces, many of whom have taken the party's very martial-themed membership oaths, combined with Hovannisian's provocative February 7 remarks. END COMMENT) -------------- FESTIVAL ATMOSPHERICS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Arguably the most well-organized national rally held to that point in Yerevan's Freedom Square, -- though LTP well outstripped it the next day -- the Dashnaks pulled out all the stops to keep supporters in attendance. Unlike other presidential candidates, Vahan Hovannisian mercifully kept his address brief in the cold temperatures, speaking only 25 minutes. Also, and in stark contrast to other opposition rallies so far, the Dashnaks erected a professional performance stage, brought substantial sound equipment, and operated a remote camera boom that filmed from overhead. They also erected a special filming area in the middle of the square from where party-affiliated media taped the rally -- presumably for later broadcast on the party's nationwide Yerkir Media television network. They played traditional music at the outset and the end of the rally, which set off supporters in spontaneous rounds of dancing before they peaceably disassembled for their bus rides home. (NOTE: In the first interim campaign spending statement that Armenia's nine presidential candidates had to submit on January 31, Vahan Hovannisian led in spending, having already spent 44,000,000 Armenian Drams (approximately USD 143,300). Reports indicate that most of this money has come from the candidate himself. END NOTE.) PENNINGTON