Menk civic initiative: Election campaign in Armenia exposes deeply  concerning issues

ArmInfo.  The election campaign in Armenia has exposed a number of extremely alarming and profound issues, rooted not only in a deficit of political culture but also in a crisis of human ethics, mutual respect, and empathy, as noted in   a statement issued by the Menk civic initiative.

In a statement received by ArmInfo, the initiative states that the  daily stream of insults, hate speech, aggressive rhetoric, open  threats, lack of basic tact, respect for opponents, and a dignified  tone of public dialogue are unbecoming of the office of Prime  Minister of Armenia, Armenian national values, or the dignity of the  Armenian people. "It is shameful when an election campaign is  transformed into an instrument for expressing hatred and humiliation,  spreading disrespectful, often contemptuous attitudes toward its own  citizens and the citizens of Artsakh—and at the highest level, no  less. Clearly, the goal is to entrench an atmosphere of fear,  deepening the fault lines that have been artificially imposed for  years by certain circles," the initiative continued.

Menk is convinced that the Armenian authorities want to intimidate  citizens, divide them, pitting them against each other, and turning  internal conflict into a political tool. "It won't work. We are one  people.  Neither arrests, nor open hate speech, nor these insults  will divide us. We share a common homeland, a common history, a  single responsibility to future generations. And we are the owners of  this country— those for whom the Armenian national agenda, national  dignity, and state interests remain an unconditional priority. The  Menk civic initiative believes that it is the responsibility of each  of us to resist these manipulations and to eradicate the evil that  threatens our homeland," the initiative concluded.

Earlier, during the election campaign, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan and members of the ruling party repeatedly voiced baseless  accusations against the people of Artsakh and political opponents,  thereby inciting hatred and intolerance and creating a rift  in  Armenian society.