Armenians like to consider themselves important. It’s not uncommon to hear people remark that everyone considers themselves to be a king or general, or deserving of consideration or privileges over and above the law. This is especially true at times of elections when candidates from obscure or insignificant groups appear out of nowhere, fail to get anyway and then declare that their votes were stolen.

However, this latest story from RFE/RL eclipses that. Israel Hakobkokhian, a former boxing champion, wants to run for president. There’s just one problem, though, he can’t afford to do so and has appealed to the president to intervene so that he can run even though few other than his relatives, friends or neighbours are likely to vote for him.

The Visa and Passport Department has provided Israel Hakobkokhian, 47, with evidence of his 10-year citizenship and permanent residence in Armenia required under Armenian law for a person to stand for president. However, also according to the law, the nonpartisan former boxer’s documents cannot be accepted by the Central Election Commission until he pays a sum of 8 million drams (about $26,500) as an election bond.

Hakobkokhian, who had successfully represented the Soviet Union in amateur boxing competitions throughout the 1980s, said potential buyers of his medals from world and European championships are interested only in their gold content. Now he plans to pawn his entire collection of medals “on bearable terms”.

Meeting with journalists on Thursday, Hakobkokhian read out his appeal to President Robert Kocharian, standing.

“Dear King of All Armenians Robert Kocharian. Please, assist me in pawning all my medals that I earned with my blood and sweat at the Central Bank, or any other bank,” he declared pompously. “Your assistance will be to ensure terms on which other states extend loans to our country.”

[…]

Last May Hakobkokhian stood as an independent candidate in a Yerevan single-member constituency. Finishing a distant third in the race, Hakobkokhian refused to concede his defeat and went on a hunger strike, which he ended only after being visited by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

The full post is available on the Armenia Election Monitor 2008.