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Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 14 2008
Another Oppositionist Backs Ter-Petrosian
By Anna Saghabalian
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian secured on Thursday the backing
of yet another opposition party which urged Armenians to help him
thwart a `reproduction' of the country's present leadership in next
week's presidential election.
In a statement, the Nor Zhamanakner (New Times) of Aram Karapetian,
an opposition politician known for his pro-Russian views, said it is
joining the `popular movement' led by Ter-Petrosian in the hope of
seeing `systemic changes' in Armenia. `Armenian society has found the
courage to rise up and get rid of practices infringing on our
national dignity, and the Nor Zhamanakner Party is naturally with the
people,' it said.
The statement came two days Karapetian exhausted all legal
possibilities of overturning the Armenian authorities' refusal to
register him as a presidential candidate. The Central Election
Commission (CEC) said late last year that Karapetian failed to prove
that he has permanently resided in Armenia for the past ten years,
something which is required by the Armenian constitution. The
outspoken oppositionist, who has spent much of the past 15 years in
Moscow, unsuccessfully challenged that assertion in Armenian courts.
Nor Zhamanakner, which polled more than 3 percent of the vote in last
May's parliamentary elections, said the CEC's refusal to register
Karapetian dealt a `very serious blow to the legitimacy of the
presidential elections.' This might explain why its statement only
implicitly urged Armenians to vote for Ter-Petrosian.
`As you can see, we are not making a direct endorsement,' Karapetian
told RFE/RL. He claimed that the authorities plan to rig the February
19 vote and that its outcome may well be decided on the streets of
Yerevan.
Karapetian also said that he and his supporters will participate in
Ter-Petrosian's next Yerevan rally scheduled for Saturday. `We will
be supporting the movement which aims to rid Armenia of its present
authorities,' he said.
Ter-Petrosian's presidential bid was already endorsed by nearly two
dozen mostly small opposition parties. Only one of them, the
Zharangutyun party of Raffi Hovannisian, is represented in Armenia's
parliament.
Feb 14 2008
Another Oppositionist Backs Ter-Petrosian
By Anna Saghabalian
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian secured on Thursday the backing
of yet another opposition party which urged Armenians to help him
thwart a `reproduction' of the country's present leadership in next
week's presidential election.
In a statement, the Nor Zhamanakner (New Times) of Aram Karapetian,
an opposition politician known for his pro-Russian views, said it is
joining the `popular movement' led by Ter-Petrosian in the hope of
seeing `systemic changes' in Armenia. `Armenian society has found the
courage to rise up and get rid of practices infringing on our
national dignity, and the Nor Zhamanakner Party is naturally with the
people,' it said.
The statement came two days Karapetian exhausted all legal
possibilities of overturning the Armenian authorities' refusal to
register him as a presidential candidate. The Central Election
Commission (CEC) said late last year that Karapetian failed to prove
that he has permanently resided in Armenia for the past ten years,
something which is required by the Armenian constitution. The
outspoken oppositionist, who has spent much of the past 15 years in
Moscow, unsuccessfully challenged that assertion in Armenian courts.
Nor Zhamanakner, which polled more than 3 percent of the vote in last
May's parliamentary elections, said the CEC's refusal to register
Karapetian dealt a `very serious blow to the legitimacy of the
presidential elections.' This might explain why its statement only
implicitly urged Armenians to vote for Ter-Petrosian.
`As you can see, we are not making a direct endorsement,' Karapetian
told RFE/RL. He claimed that the authorities plan to rig the February
19 vote and that its outcome may well be decided on the streets of
Yerevan.
Karapetian also said that he and his supporters will participate in
Ter-Petrosian's next Yerevan rally scheduled for Saturday. `We will
be supporting the movement which aims to rid Armenia of its present
authorities,' he said.
Ter-Petrosian's presidential bid was already endorsed by nearly two
dozen mostly small opposition parties. Only one of them, the
Zharangutyun party of Raffi Hovannisian, is represented in Armenia's
parliament.