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Armenian president accuses opposition of coup attempt

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  • Armenian president accuses opposition of coup attempt

    Armenian president accuses opposition of coup attempt


    18:30 | 23/ 02/ 2008



    YEREVAN, February 23 (RIA Novosti) - Armenia's incumbent president
    described on Saturday opposition protests against the results of
    Tuesday's polls in the country, which elected Prime Minister Serzh
    Sarkisyan its new leader, as a coup attempt.

    European and CIS observers described the February 19 polls, where
    Sarkisyan received 52.86% of the vote, as complying with international
    democratic standards. However, supporters of Sarkisyan's nearest rival,
    Armenia's first president Levon-Ter-Petrosyan, who garnered 21.5%, have
    refused to recognize the elections as valid. The opposition has been
    rallying in central Yerevan since Wednesday, calling for new elections.

    "Our action will be resolute and sharp, aimed at maintaining stability
    and constitutional order in the country," President Robert Kocharyan
    said, adding that the country's stability could never be "a bargaining
    issue."

    The outgoing president held three separate meetings on Saturday with
    chiefs of the country's police, Army and security service. He
    complained that the events in Armenia were aimed at creating tensions
    and regretted the absence in the country of "an important element of
    democracy," a culture to admit failure.

    Senior police officers assured the president that the police had enough
    capacity to neutralize provocations and maintain law and order in the
    republic.

    Earlier on Saturday, Kocharyan decreed to dismiss Gagik Dzhangiryan,
    deputy prosecutor general, who expressed his support to Ter-Petrosyan
    at an opposition rally on Friday.

    Meanwhile, the European Union and Washington have issued statements to
    congratulate Armenia on "competitive" presidential polls.

    "We congratulate the people of Armenia on the active and competitive
    presidential election of February 19 and note the preliminary
    assessment of the OSCE's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human
    Rights (ODIHR) and Parliamentary Assembly that the election was 'mostly
    in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for
    democratic elections,'" State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey
    said on Friday.

    However, Washington pointed to certain problems with electoral
    procedures and urged the Armenian government "investigate all
    allegations of irregularities, and implement steps to improve future
    elections."

    The EU Presidency welcomed "the genuine efforts that were made to
    address the shortcomings in previous elections" and called Armenia's
    elections "an important test for democracy."

    The EU also expressed concerns about the electoral process and pushed
    for further improvements "to address the remaining challenges."
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