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THOUSANDS CHALLENGE VICTORY OF ARMENIAN PM IN PRESIDENTIAL VOTE IN 2ND DAY OF PROTESTS
AP
2008-02-21 13:44:49 -
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Thousands of opposition supporters rallied
for a second straight day in Armenia's capital Thursday, claiming
the presidential election was rigged and vowing to protest until a
new vote is held.
More than 25,000 gathered in a square outside Yerevan's opera house,
urging the authorities to declare Tuesday's election invalid and call
a new one.
Election officials said Wednesday that Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian _
the favored successor of outgoing President Robert Kocharian _ received
almost 53 percent of the vote, enough to win the presidency outright.
Opponents say the election was marred by widespread violations and
violence targeting opposition activists who monitored the vote, in
which the official count gave Ter-Petrosian 21.5 percent. They say
the real winner was Ter-Petrosian, seeking a comeback after serving
as independent Armenia's first president following the 1991 Soviet
breakup.
Protesters waved flags, raised clenched fists and shouted,
"Levon! Levon A senior aide to Ter-Petrosian said supporters would
maintain their protest until they prevail.
"Today we begin nonstop protests and rallies," said Nicol Pashinian.
"We're going to stay here until we win.
The opposition faces an uphill struggle in mustering enough support to
force a new vote _ or spark a mass uprising like those that occurred
in other ex-Soviet republics after disputed elections.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose powerful country has close
ties with Armenia, congratulated Sarkisian on his victory, and an
influential mission of international observers issued a generally
positive evaluation of the voting.
The claims of vote-rigging and beatings of activists enraged
many Armenians, but it was unclear how many people would
turn up for a demonstrations on a working day and in freezing
temperatures. Opposition efforts were also weakened by the lack of
outside support and the favorable coverage Sarkisian receives in
local media.
The disputed election raised concerns of instability in the volatile,
strategic country at the junction of the energy-rich Caspian Sea
region and southern Europe, with Russia and Iran nearby.
But memories of economic hardships of the early 1990s and the
devastating conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh are still fresh, and many Armenians long for calm
and stability.
"I am already sick and tired of all these rallies _ every time after
elections they stage these shows and prevent people from going about
their business," said Vladimir Tatevosian, 39, a construction engineer
in Yerevan.
The capital was the scene of weekslong protests following Kocharian's
re-election in 2003, which the opposition also called fraudulent. The
protests never gained momentum, however, unlike in neighboring
Georgia and Ukraine, where demonstrations ushered opposition leaders
to power in what became known as the Rose and the Orange revolutions,
respectively.
Sarkisian was groomed by Kocharian and had been widely expected to
win, in part because of favorable media coverage and support from the
state bureaucracy. He has also benefited from economic improvements
in recent years, though more than 25 percent of Armenia's 3.2 million
people live in poverty.
The election campaign was dominated by the country's economic revival
and efforts to resolve the status of Nagorno-Karabakh _ a mountainous
region in neighboring Azerbaijan that has been under ethnic Armenian
control since a cease-fire ended six years of fighting in 1994.
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday added an
element of uncertainty for Armenians, many of whom see clear analogies
between Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Armenian government says the region should be recognized as
a sovereign state, while Azerbaijan says it will never cede its
territory.
AP
2008-02-21 13:44:49 -
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Thousands of opposition supporters rallied
for a second straight day in Armenia's capital Thursday, claiming
the presidential election was rigged and vowing to protest until a
new vote is held.
More than 25,000 gathered in a square outside Yerevan's opera house,
urging the authorities to declare Tuesday's election invalid and call
a new one.
Election officials said Wednesday that Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian _
the favored successor of outgoing President Robert Kocharian _ received
almost 53 percent of the vote, enough to win the presidency outright.
Opponents say the election was marred by widespread violations and
violence targeting opposition activists who monitored the vote, in
which the official count gave Ter-Petrosian 21.5 percent. They say
the real winner was Ter-Petrosian, seeking a comeback after serving
as independent Armenia's first president following the 1991 Soviet
breakup.
Protesters waved flags, raised clenched fists and shouted,
"Levon! Levon A senior aide to Ter-Petrosian said supporters would
maintain their protest until they prevail.
"Today we begin nonstop protests and rallies," said Nicol Pashinian.
"We're going to stay here until we win.
The opposition faces an uphill struggle in mustering enough support to
force a new vote _ or spark a mass uprising like those that occurred
in other ex-Soviet republics after disputed elections.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose powerful country has close
ties with Armenia, congratulated Sarkisian on his victory, and an
influential mission of international observers issued a generally
positive evaluation of the voting.
The claims of vote-rigging and beatings of activists enraged
many Armenians, but it was unclear how many people would
turn up for a demonstrations on a working day and in freezing
temperatures. Opposition efforts were also weakened by the lack of
outside support and the favorable coverage Sarkisian receives in
local media.
The disputed election raised concerns of instability in the volatile,
strategic country at the junction of the energy-rich Caspian Sea
region and southern Europe, with Russia and Iran nearby.
But memories of economic hardships of the early 1990s and the
devastating conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh are still fresh, and many Armenians long for calm
and stability.
"I am already sick and tired of all these rallies _ every time after
elections they stage these shows and prevent people from going about
their business," said Vladimir Tatevosian, 39, a construction engineer
in Yerevan.
The capital was the scene of weekslong protests following Kocharian's
re-election in 2003, which the opposition also called fraudulent. The
protests never gained momentum, however, unlike in neighboring
Georgia and Ukraine, where demonstrations ushered opposition leaders
to power in what became known as the Rose and the Orange revolutions,
respectively.
Sarkisian was groomed by Kocharian and had been widely expected to
win, in part because of favorable media coverage and support from the
state bureaucracy. He has also benefited from economic improvements
in recent years, though more than 25 percent of Armenia's 3.2 million
people live in poverty.
The election campaign was dominated by the country's economic revival
and efforts to resolve the status of Nagorno-Karabakh _ a mountainous
region in neighboring Azerbaijan that has been under ethnic Armenian
control since a cease-fire ended six years of fighting in 1994.
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday added an
element of uncertainty for Armenians, many of whom see clear analogies
between Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Armenian government says the region should be recognized as
a sovereign state, while Azerbaijan says it will never cede its
territory.