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SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN DESCRIBES PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS 'STEP FORWARD'
ARMENPRESS
Feb 22, 2008
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS: A former parliament member Shavarsh
Kocharian brushed off today opposition's claims that the February 19
presidential election was marred with wholesale election fraud.
Speaking at a news conference, Kocharian (no relation to president
Robert Kocharian) said one should be blind with hatred not to see
'the progress.' During the official electioneering period Shavarsh
Kocharian campaigned for Vazgen Manukian, the chairman of the National
Democratic Union (NDU), one of the nine candidates for the highest
post of the country, who received only 5,000 votes of some 1.7 million
voters, who went to the polls.
To substantiate that the ballot was progress Shavarsh Kocharian cited
from the preliminary report of the International Election Observation
Mission (IEOM), which said the February 19 poll was mostly in line
with Armenia's international commitments.
But Kocharian added this election is not compared with similar polls
in Finland or Sweden, but with the previous 2003 presidential election
in Armenia and from that perspective it marked progress.
Shavarsh Kocharian said Manukian's campaign office is aware of reports
about election fraud and other irregularities, but people there do
not consider them enough to claim they have had any impact on the
final outcome.
He said Manukian's campaign office will make the final statement
after the recounting of votes in some precincts is over.
ARMENPRESS
Feb 22, 2008
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS: A former parliament member Shavarsh
Kocharian brushed off today opposition's claims that the February 19
presidential election was marred with wholesale election fraud.
Speaking at a news conference, Kocharian (no relation to president
Robert Kocharian) said one should be blind with hatred not to see
'the progress.' During the official electioneering period Shavarsh
Kocharian campaigned for Vazgen Manukian, the chairman of the National
Democratic Union (NDU), one of the nine candidates for the highest
post of the country, who received only 5,000 votes of some 1.7 million
voters, who went to the polls.
To substantiate that the ballot was progress Shavarsh Kocharian cited
from the preliminary report of the International Election Observation
Mission (IEOM), which said the February 19 poll was mostly in line
with Armenia's international commitments.
But Kocharian added this election is not compared with similar polls
in Finland or Sweden, but with the previous 2003 presidential election
in Armenia and from that perspective it marked progress.
Shavarsh Kocharian said Manukian's campaign office is aware of reports
about election fraud and other irregularities, but people there do
not consider them enough to claim they have had any impact on the
final outcome.
He said Manukian's campaign office will make the final statement
after the recounting of votes in some precincts is over.