Lena Nazaryan, the young woman who read a statement during a press conference of the OSCE observers a day after the February 18 presidential election challenging their evaluation, said she did nothing heroic.

“If other international organizations again attempt to give a similar evaluation, then somebody else will get up and take them to task,” Nazaryan said today at a Media Center discussion regarding the election and post-election developments.

Nazaryan said the act was to show that domestic observers had the right to present their evaluation as well.

Arpineh Galfayan, one of the panellists comprised of representatives of local civic groups, said too much emphasis was placed on elections every five years and that the struggle for change was a daily battle.

Marineh Manoucharyan argued that Nazaryan’s action was needed to show that the evaluation of local observers was equally, if not more important, than those given by international observers.

Manoucharyan saiud that local observers not only understand the language but that they follow the entire electoral process and remain at their posts all day monitoring the situation.

Artour Avtandilyan said bribe giving is the hardest of the election violations to prove and that it is ultimately up to the government to stamp it out.

“Given that bribe giving remains a fact of life in Armenia, it means that the government is not interested in eradicating it,” the activist said.

Arpineh Galfayan said that that the majority of people in Armenia are still searching for a saviour, an idol, to follow. This often leads to repeating cycles of despair.

Nevertheless, she believes that society has the potential for self-organization.

Tzovinar Nazaryan confessed that the official election results were unexpected and optimistic in the sense that despite the violations the people went out and voted the conscience.

“Shame on us”, Nazaryan said, “We expected less from our society.”