April 11, 2007

Heritage Launches Grass-Roots Campaign

Yerevan—After campaign kickoff celebrations held at the Armenia Marriott Hotel yesterday, the Heritage Party today, April 11, launched its first surge of republic-wide, door-to-door campaigning. Raffi K. Hovannisian met with his fellow citizens in various Yerevan neighborhoods, then attended a reception at the US Embassy to raise funds for the Armenian Red Cross Society and Mine Risk Education, a project of former US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Meanwhile, human rights attorney and Heritage candidate Zaruhi Postanjian and several party faithful were already on the road, escorting Heritage’s message to Abovian, Hrazdan, and Charentsavan.

Heritage board member Davit Badalian took charge of the volunteer corps, which boarded the party’s fifty-seat campaign bus, duly dubbed “Toward Victory,” to Yerevan’s Shengavit district to distribute Heritage’s hope and its 12-point plan for parliament.

Tomorrow, “Toward Victory” will take Raffi Hovannisian, Armenia’s first ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdian, volunteers, and reporters to Dilijan, Tsaghkadzor, Hrazdan, Bjni, Charentsavan, Yeghvard, Nor Hajn, Abovian, and Garni. In Yerevan, Heritage representatives will receive the Council of Europe’s election monitoring delegation led by Dutch parliamentarian Leo Platvoet. Boyana Urumova, the special representative of the Council’s Secretary General, and Tone Tingsgaard, vice president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, also will take part in the meeting.

Until it reaches its final destination on May 12, the Heritage caravan will carry Heritage’s programs, deeds, and volunteers to hundreds of cities and villages across the nation.