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ARMENIA ELECTION BROADLY FAIR: OSCE OBSERVERS
Margarita Antidze
Reuters
February 20, 2008
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia's presidential election was broadly fair,
Western observers said on Wednesday, but thousands of protesters said
the vote was rigged to hand victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan.
Sarksyan, who has vowed to continue the policies of his ally, incumbent
president Robert Kocharyan, took 52.86 percent of the votes, the
Central Election Committee said.
This was enough for outright victory in the first round.
Yesterday's presidential election in Armenia was conducted mostly
in line with the country's international commitments," observers
from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
said in a statement.
"Further improvements are necessary to address remaining challenges,"
it added.
Earlier, Kocharyan congratulated Sarksyan on his victory in what he
called free and fair elections.
Supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, a former president who trailed in
a distant second to Sarksyan, according to official results, refused
to recognize the result.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters gathered at a rally in central
Yerevan, chanting "Levon! Levon!" and "Serzh: leave!," a Reuters
reporter said.
They allege the vote was marred by ballot-stuffing and intimidation
of the opposition and have vowed to protest until the result is
overturned.
Armenia is squeezed between Turkey and Azerbaijan in a region that is
emerging as an important transit route for oil exports from the Caspian
Sea to world markets, though Armenia has no pipelines of its own.
Analysts say an unresolved conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over
the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh could flare again into
violence.
Stalled efforts to reach a peace deal are likely to be the biggest
challenge facing the new president.
Margarita Antidze
Reuters
February 20, 2008
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia's presidential election was broadly fair,
Western observers said on Wednesday, but thousands of protesters said
the vote was rigged to hand victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan.
Sarksyan, who has vowed to continue the policies of his ally, incumbent
president Robert Kocharyan, took 52.86 percent of the votes, the
Central Election Committee said.
This was enough for outright victory in the first round.
Yesterday's presidential election in Armenia was conducted mostly
in line with the country's international commitments," observers
from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
said in a statement.
"Further improvements are necessary to address remaining challenges,"
it added.
Earlier, Kocharyan congratulated Sarksyan on his victory in what he
called free and fair elections.
Supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, a former president who trailed in
a distant second to Sarksyan, according to official results, refused
to recognize the result.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters gathered at a rally in central
Yerevan, chanting "Levon! Levon!" and "Serzh: leave!," a Reuters
reporter said.
They allege the vote was marred by ballot-stuffing and intimidation
of the opposition and have vowed to protest until the result is
overturned.
Armenia is squeezed between Turkey and Azerbaijan in a region that is
emerging as an important transit route for oil exports from the Caspian
Sea to world markets, though Armenia has no pipelines of its own.
Analysts say an unresolved conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over
the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh could flare again into
violence.
Stalled efforts to reach a peace deal are likely to be the biggest
challenge facing the new president.