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Armenian state officials "planned post-election coup"
24.02.08 17:29
( dpa ) - Several high state officials loyal to former president Levon
Ter-Petrosian planned a coup in Armenia after the defeat of the
opposition there in last week's presidential election, the state
leadership was quoted as saying Sunday.
Police detained deputy prosecutor-general Gagik Jangiryan, his brother
and two justice officials, Interfax news agency reported from Yerevan.
In addition, President Robert Kocharian dismissed the deputy foreign
minister and three ambassadors who had backed the opposition, the
report said.
Ter-Petrosian, who won 21.43 per cent of Tuesday's vote, had accused
the government during the election of a slew of violations including
the beating and kidnapping of supporters.
Official results from the Central Election Committee (CEC) showed
Wednesday that Sarkisian took 52.86 per cent of the vote with the final
ballots counted.
The results put Sarkisian just over the 50 per cent needed to avoid a
run-off with the second-place finisher after a bitterly contested
election campaign.
Observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) said the day after polling that it had fulfilled in large part
the criteria for a democratic election.
But the OSCE said public mistrust in the electoral process and
interference by state apparati had to be reduced in the future.
The organization added that Armenians had in contrast to many other
former Soviet republics a choice of genuine political alternatives.
24.02.08 17:29
( dpa ) - Several high state officials loyal to former president Levon
Ter-Petrosian planned a coup in Armenia after the defeat of the
opposition there in last week's presidential election, the state
leadership was quoted as saying Sunday.
Police detained deputy prosecutor-general Gagik Jangiryan, his brother
and two justice officials, Interfax news agency reported from Yerevan.
In addition, President Robert Kocharian dismissed the deputy foreign
minister and three ambassadors who had backed the opposition, the
report said.
Ter-Petrosian, who won 21.43 per cent of Tuesday's vote, had accused
the government during the election of a slew of violations including
the beating and kidnapping of supporters.
Official results from the Central Election Committee (CEC) showed
Wednesday that Sarkisian took 52.86 per cent of the vote with the final
ballots counted.
The results put Sarkisian just over the 50 per cent needed to avoid a
run-off with the second-place finisher after a bitterly contested
election campaign.
Observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) said the day after polling that it had fulfilled in large part
the criteria for a democratic election.
But the OSCE said public mistrust in the electoral process and
interference by state apparati had to be reduced in the future.
The organization added that Armenians had in contrast to many other
former Soviet republics a choice of genuine political alternatives.