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Armenian President Accuses Opposition of Trying to Seize Power
By VOA News
24 February 2008
Armenian President Robert Kocharian has accused the opposition of
attempting to seize power as protests against alleged fraud in the
presidential election continue for a fourth day.
Mr. Kocharian on Saturday called a special meeting of army and police
officials to discuss the situation. He said authorities will take tough
and resolute actions to maintain stability and constitutional order in
the country.
Some 35,000 people gathered in Armenia's capital, Yerevan, on Saturday,
protesting the official results of the Tuesday election, which gave an
outright victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan.
The opposition claims the vote was rigged and demands a recount.
The protests have been peaceful so far.
Official results gave Prime Minister Sarkisyan nearly 53 percent of the
vote, and just over 21 percent to former President Levon Ter-Petrosian.
International monitors found that the election results were mostly in
line with standards for democratic elections. But they identified
significant problems with electoral procedures.
The U.S. State Department has called on Armenia to conduct a
comprehensive and transparent recount of the votes that are
questionable.
Mr. Ter-Petrosian says a number of high-ranking officials have joined
the opposition. Deputy Prosecutor-General Gagik Jhangirian was
dismissed after declaring his support for the opposition on Friday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
By VOA News
24 February 2008
Armenian President Robert Kocharian has accused the opposition of
attempting to seize power as protests against alleged fraud in the
presidential election continue for a fourth day.
Mr. Kocharian on Saturday called a special meeting of army and police
officials to discuss the situation. He said authorities will take tough
and resolute actions to maintain stability and constitutional order in
the country.
Some 35,000 people gathered in Armenia's capital, Yerevan, on Saturday,
protesting the official results of the Tuesday election, which gave an
outright victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan.
The opposition claims the vote was rigged and demands a recount.
The protests have been peaceful so far.
Official results gave Prime Minister Sarkisyan nearly 53 percent of the
vote, and just over 21 percent to former President Levon Ter-Petrosian.
International monitors found that the election results were mostly in
line with standards for democratic elections. But they identified
significant problems with electoral procedures.
The U.S. State Department has called on Armenia to conduct a
comprehensive and transparent recount of the votes that are
questionable.
Mr. Ter-Petrosian says a number of high-ranking officials have joined
the opposition. Deputy Prosecutor-General Gagik Jhangirian was
dismissed after declaring his support for the opposition on Friday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.