Food and other comestibles were distributed by the regional offices of the Rule of Law party (Orinats Yerkir) in the period leading up to New Years.

Those handing out the items told recipients that party head Artur Baghdasaryan was behind the largesse.

In Hrazdan, fruit juices were distributed, and in certain Armavir villages, juice, coffee and vodka were in the holiday bags.

A bag of the goodies was even brought to the home of this reporter. A local villager told me that the vodka wasn’t of high quality but that he accepted the free booze nevertheless.

I should remind readers that recipients were told to hand over their passport details beforehand.

Many confess they now feel obliged to cast their vote for the Rule of Law in the upcoming parliamentary election.

Rule of Law party secretary Sousanna Abrahamyan admitted that gifts were handed out to party members and supporters but denied that passport details were taken.

As to why a bag of holiday goodies was brought to my family’s house, where there are no Rule of Law supporters, Abrahamyan said it might have been an attempt to curry favour.

“I don’t think anything untoward happened there,” Abrahamyan noted.