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Thursday 16 October 2008

Important day of my calendar – 16 October, Armenia

17 years ago, on 16 October 1991, we had the first and the only presidential election in modern Armenia considered as free and fair. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was popularly elected the first President of the newly-independent Republic of Armenia. All subsequent elections were flawed to various extent, and the last one (19 February 2008) had tragic consequences. It’s not personalities which matter to me this day. Forget about Levon or subsequent presidents. It’s free elections which I care about. It’s free elections which seem to me like hopeful memory from not so distant past. It was history in making which I participated in. Unfortunately, it did not transform into routine reality but remains a ‘history’.

Until we have in Armenia free and fair election again, this day will remain in my calendar as one of the most important dates to remember and to hope that one day it will become so routine that there will be no need to mark it.

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