The political players participating in the May 6 parliamentary elections, realize that they can more easily “buy” the votes of people living in the outlying regions of Armenia than, say, those in Yerevan.

No wonder then, that they have recently hauled out their heavy artillery and are crisscrossing the territory of Armenia.

In the run-up to this election as well, the parties of the ruling coalition are actively buying the votes of the country’s rural populace. Their agents are busy distributing a host of enticements, including jams and preserves, expired perfumes, cell phones, scarves, fertilizer, diesel fuel, as well as good old cash.

People, especially in far-off villages are eagerly awaiting the elections, not so much to make their voice heard through the ballot box, but rather for personal gain. While it is difficult to condemn such behaviour, given the dire socio-economic condition faced by many, it is also difficult to comprehend such behaviour.

Yesterday, when Prosperous Armenian Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan was on a campaign tour of Armavir and meeting with the villagers, I was taken aback by the throngs literally begging for money and gifts.

So widespread is the phenomenon of looking for a handout within wide swaths of the rural populace that we might as well place a large X mark on attaining a brighter future for my generation and any dream of having a democratic Armenia any time soon.

You hear people say – the youth is our future. But yesterday’s lamentable show put on by our senior citizens, the grandfathers and grandmothers, crushed all the hopes of this young person for a brighter future.

In the Armavir village of Dalarik, the grandmas were yelling out questions and pleas in unison to Tsarukyan, who leads a party that is not part of the ruling coalition. Their questions had nothing to do with the betterment of their village, increasing the amount of their pensions or other overriding issues.

One granny pushed her way to Tsarukyan and cried that she had no money to pay the gas bill and that the utility had shut it off. Another wanted money to buy needed medications. A third simply couldn’t afford to buy a loaf of bread.