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Armen Arakelyan

They're Not Ready for Sacrifices

The first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, doesn’t want to join the social movementthat started after the presidential elections. Although he announced that Raffi Hovannisian actually won, he also added that he has no desire to join the movement, so long as he did not see a concrete plan of action put forth by the movement's leaders. 

Ter-Petrosyan perfectly understands his own advantages: rhetorical inclinations, great charisma, ability to lead the massesand more importantly, planned, consistent actions under any circumstances. Ter-Petrosyan's actions were planned even when he was leading the Armenian National Congress toward marginalization and an inglorious end. He clearly sees that Hovannisian's movement is like a boat on the ocean during the storm, and the captain doesn’t know how to overcome the giant waves and reach the coast. But seeing all that, he doesn’t want to help him. 

The help surely can't be one-way. Hovannisian hasn'tdemonstrated in any way that he specificallyneeds Ter-Petrosyan's support and consultation. He negotiated with the leaders of all the influential powers that boycotted the presidential elections except Ter-Petrosyan, the person he probably has the most to learn from and obtain. Unlike others, Ter-Petrosyan realistically proved how to gather people in the streets and squares and keep them there for four years non-stop, and how to form and control people's consciousness and behavior. Hovannisian probably thinks that if he tries to contact Ter-Petrosyan, as he did Gagik Tsarukyan, he would indirectly admit that he doesn’t know what to do and how to do it, thus he doesn’t know what measures to take to reach land. ButHovannisian is trying to occupy the field that the Armenian National Congress and Ter-Petrosyan left. Initially the aim of his "fight" with the first president was to gain this status. Hovannisian won that battle and now he wants to enjoy what he has. 

But the main reason for Ter-Petrosyan's self-imposed isolation from the movement is different. It's as if he's trying to tell Raffi that"you wanted that weight, now carry it,"displaying this movement through the prism of Hovannisian'spersona. And in order to prove the incomparability between him and Hovannisian as well as the Armenian National Congress and the Heritage Party, he is silently watching signs of this movement'sslow death. 

Meanwhile, the situation is completely different. The 2008 movement belonged to Ter-Petrosyan as a leader; he was the heart and soul of the nationwide movement and was at the forefront. It was an egocentric movement, which was strengthened and demonstrated by the chant, "Levon is President." In 2013,Hovannisian is the leader, and nowpeople are chanting "Armenia" instead of "Raffi is President." 

As the bearer of western political culture, Hovannisian had enough acumen to put the movement beyond himselfon a public level, but only on that level. Because it is obviousthat the refusal to use Ter-Petrosyan's potential and intentionally disregarding the role of other political forces demonstrates his ambition and gained respect for his position, which he hasdue to the effectiveness of the movement. Meanwhile, personal interests and ambitions should be put aside for the sake ofcivil rights, since they are incompatible. 

The same holds true for Ter-Petrosyan as well, who wanted to use him as a tool for overthrowing the "plutocratic regime" in 2008 and claimed in 2011 that he was ready to join any force that could lead the nationwide movement of regime change. Now that force, good or bad,exists, but without Ter-Petrosyan's participation.He just can’t accept the idea that now it is his turn to join the movement where the role of Hovannisian, Heritage or any other political forceis secondary and only one thing is required of the politicians: to properly lead this spontaneous movement. The understanding isn't there that joining this movementwould mean serving society, whose rights need to be respected. 

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Թլկատինցի
Լեւոնը երբէք «ժողովրդավար» առաջնորդ չի եղել եւ չի էլ կարող լենել: 2008-ի շարժում լոկ կռքապաշտութիւն էր ԼՏՊ-ի հանդէպ: Հեղինակը չարաչար սխալւում է թէ ԼՏՊ չորս տարի ժողավրդին պահել է փողոցում...երբեք: Իսկ եթէ մի քանիսին պահել է, միայն որպէս կոյր եւ անգիտակից հետեւորդներ: Անկասկած, Րաֆֆին իր թերութիւնները ունի: Նոյնքան փառասէր է ինչպէս ԼՏՊ բայց կարծում եմ որ ինքը գիտակցում է թէ չի կարելի շահագործել ժողոբրդի վստահութիւնը ինչպէս ԼՏՊ է արել: Ի վերջոյ, Րաֆֆին անկարող է պայքարը իր ցանգացած աւարտին հասցնելու առանց հասարակութեան հոծ եւ գիտակից մասնակցութեամբ, ԼՏՊ միանայ շարժմանը թէ ոչ:

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