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Peninsula On-line, Qatar
Feb. 25, 2008
Protests gaining steam in Armenia
Web posted at: 2/25/2008 12:47:0
Source ::: AFP
YEREVAN - Thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated for a fifth
day in Armenia yesterday against presidential poll results, as the
authorities took an increasingly tough stance on the protests.
Between 7,000 and 8,000 people gathered in the capital Yerevan's
Freedom Square ahead of a large-scale rally scheduled later in
protest at a presidential poll last Tuesday.
The poll was officially won by the man named by President Robert
Kocharian as his favoured successor, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.
A hard core of several hundred protesters have been camping out on
the square, after the first protests began on Wednesday in support of
second-placed candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian.
On Saturday some 50,000 supporters assembled, waving Armenian flags
and chanting "Levon!" and "Fight to the End!" Kocharian described the
protests as an illegal attempt to seize power and promised that the
government's response would be "decisive and firm to maintain
stability and the constitutional order."
Yesterday, the presidential administration announced the departure
>From office of three foreign ministry employees - two ambassadors and
a deputy foreign minister-after they joined the protests on Saturday.
And the national police said in a statement they had taken into
custody a sacked deputy prosecutor general, Gagik Dzhangirian, who
lost his job on Friday after coming out in support of Ter-Petrosian.
Dzhangirian, his brother and two associates were detained after
police stopped their two cars in Yerevan and found several loaded
pistols on them, the statement said. The four men tried to resist
detention and Dzhangirian's brother along with two officers was
injured when one officer accidentally opened
fire, it said.
Yesterday, the chairman of Ter-Petrosian's party, Ararat Zurabian,
described the president's comments the previous day as a
"provocation" and said the protesters would not be deterred.
"We are acting peacefully and we will not take any illegal actions,"
he said. "What Robert Kocharian said is a provocation... but the
people of Armenia are very determined and we will stay here until
victory."
Official results from the election gave 52.9 percent of the vote to
Sarkisian, while Ter-Petrosian trailed with 21.5 percent.
The latter has demanded a rerun, alleging that dozens of his
activists were beaten and that ballot stuffing, multiple voting and
voter intimidation were widespread. Observers from the Organisation
for Security and Cooperation in Europe described the election as
"mostly" in line with international standards.
Ter-Petrosian was Armenia's president between 1991 and 1998 and
returned to politics last year vowing to fight corruption, after a
long period of silence.
The current prime minister and president have been credited with
ensuring relative stability and strong growth.
But critics accuse the government of tolerating widespread corruption
and cracking down on opponents.
Analysts predict Sarkisian will follow Kocharian's policies of close
ties with Moscow and a hawkish stance towards neighbouring Azerbaijan
and Turkey.
Feb. 25, 2008
Protests gaining steam in Armenia
Web posted at: 2/25/2008 12:47:0
Source ::: AFP
YEREVAN - Thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated for a fifth
day in Armenia yesterday against presidential poll results, as the
authorities took an increasingly tough stance on the protests.
Between 7,000 and 8,000 people gathered in the capital Yerevan's
Freedom Square ahead of a large-scale rally scheduled later in
protest at a presidential poll last Tuesday.
The poll was officially won by the man named by President Robert
Kocharian as his favoured successor, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.
A hard core of several hundred protesters have been camping out on
the square, after the first protests began on Wednesday in support of
second-placed candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian.
On Saturday some 50,000 supporters assembled, waving Armenian flags
and chanting "Levon!" and "Fight to the End!" Kocharian described the
protests as an illegal attempt to seize power and promised that the
government's response would be "decisive and firm to maintain
stability and the constitutional order."
Yesterday, the presidential administration announced the departure
>From office of three foreign ministry employees - two ambassadors and
a deputy foreign minister-after they joined the protests on Saturday.
And the national police said in a statement they had taken into
custody a sacked deputy prosecutor general, Gagik Dzhangirian, who
lost his job on Friday after coming out in support of Ter-Petrosian.
Dzhangirian, his brother and two associates were detained after
police stopped their two cars in Yerevan and found several loaded
pistols on them, the statement said. The four men tried to resist
detention and Dzhangirian's brother along with two officers was
injured when one officer accidentally opened
fire, it said.
Yesterday, the chairman of Ter-Petrosian's party, Ararat Zurabian,
described the president's comments the previous day as a
"provocation" and said the protesters would not be deterred.
"We are acting peacefully and we will not take any illegal actions,"
he said. "What Robert Kocharian said is a provocation... but the
people of Armenia are very determined and we will stay here until
victory."
Official results from the election gave 52.9 percent of the vote to
Sarkisian, while Ter-Petrosian trailed with 21.5 percent.
The latter has demanded a rerun, alleging that dozens of his
activists were beaten and that ballot stuffing, multiple voting and
voter intimidation were widespread. Observers from the Organisation
for Security and Cooperation in Europe described the election as
"mostly" in line with international standards.
Ter-Petrosian was Armenia's president between 1991 and 1998 and
returned to politics last year vowing to fight corruption, after a
long period of silence.
The current prime minister and president have been credited with
ensuring relative stability and strong growth.
But critics accuse the government of tolerating widespread corruption
and cracking down on opponents.
Analysts predict Sarkisian will follow Kocharian's policies of close
ties with Moscow and a hawkish stance towards neighbouring Azerbaijan
and Turkey.