Together it is possible

Recent social surveys say that the head of Heritage party Raffi Hovhannisyan will be in the second place in the presidential election. Certainly, all surveys say that the incumbent president will win the election with no doubt. It is useless to discuss the credibility of such surveys because even the authorities, the ones that give the order do not believe in them. Publication of such surveys shows that the authorities want to see Raffi Hovhannisyanin the second place.

This does not mean that Raffi Hovhannisyan was nominated for the purpose of legitimizing the power of the incumbent party candidate as many people who do not run for president allegedly said. During the days of the campaign he goes out to the public and people often see him in streets, hairdressing saloons and other places. Maybe Raffi is not the second but even the first person among the candidates as he is popular in the society.

Whatever it is, the government want to see him in the second place, otherwise sociologists would put him in last places as they did with the head of the opposition movement during the culmination of the movement in 2007 (the gave him 4-5% only).

There are different reasons why Raffi Hovhannisyan is a more preferable candidate for the authorities than Hrant Bagratyan and others. On the other hand, it will be awkward if Raffi Hovhannisyan occupies the second place because he is the leader of the smallest faction in the parliament. It means that if Raffi Hovhannisyan occupies the second place, there will be changes in the political sector. Such possible changes could be forming coalition with the government with large representation or attracting members of PA party into Heritage party. It is not excluded that the government want this happen. If this is true, Hovhannisyan’s slogan “together it’s possible” is becoming very interesting.

Maybe this is a message not only for the constituency, but the government as well. Maybe this is the beginning of changes of political configuration.