Election results could be encouraging for ARF - opposition MP

ArmInfo.Given the current situation in Armenia, especially the climate of fear, one shouldn't place much trust in opinion polls. Garnik Danielyan, a member of the National Assembly from the opposition Armenia faction, stated this at a briefing in the National Assembly on March 6, responding to a question about a poll conducted by the International Republican Institute that the Armenia bloc and the ARF party would receive only 3% of the vote in the June 7 parliamentary elections.

The member of parliament cited the example of a citizen who asked an  awkward question to the leaders of the ruling Civil Contract party  during their public meetings and was intimidated. When people are  dismissed from their jobs for dissent or prosecuted under trumped-up  criminal code articles, including for Facebook likes, they begin to  develop a sense of fear. Against this backdrop, Garnik Danielyan  emphasized, it's difficult to talk about the objectivity of opinion  polls. He noted that a significant portion of the population avoids  expressing their position during surveys.

However, as Garnik Danielyan noted, there is still plenty of time for  political forces to present their initiatives, so that the public can  evaluate past promises, especially those made by the government (99%  of which have failed), against the programs that will be presented by  various political forces.

The MP noted that, according to other opinion polls, the Armenia bloc  and the ARF party are quite likely to gain seats in the new  parliament. The data from these polls is quite encouraging, unlike  the IRI poll.

According to a poll by the International Republican Institute, the  ruling Civil Contract party will receive 24% of the vote in the June  7 elections, Strong Armenia will receive 9%, the ARF will receive 3%,  and the Prosperous Armenia party will receive 3%. The remaining  parties will not even receive 1% of the vote.