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ARMENIA'S SECOND PRESIDENT BECAME POLITICAL GHOST - ANALYST
NEWS.AM
March 05, 2013 | 12:56
YEREVAN. - The recent presidential election in Armenia should have been
more free and fair, and this could be considered a lost opportunity
for the country, Regional Studies Center Director, political analyst
Richard Giragosian said during a press conference on Tuesday.
He reflected on three matters: the pre-election season, the
significance of the election, and the current situation.
Giragosian noted that there was a lack of competition during the
pre-election season. He stressed that there was no doubt about the
election results, and this was the most non-competitive election in
Armenia's modern history. In his view, each day that followed the
February 18 election brought forth greater evidence of election fraud
and violations.
Giragosian also underscored the Armenian authorities' capacity to
hold elections. As per the analyst, during the pre-election season
the real challenges were concealed in the society's profound lack of
trust in elections
Reflecting on the significance of the election, Giragosian noted that
there is deep discontent in Armenia. In his words, some of the votes
received by opposition Heritage Party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian-who is
declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan,
as a result of the presidential election that was conducted on February
18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote-were not his own,
but rather an expression of dissatisfaction by Sargsyan.
"There were political ghosts and political corpses here [during the
election season]. The political ghost is former President Robert
Kocharyan, and the political corpse is the PAP [Prosperous Armenia
Party]. Here we saw a confirmation of the weakening of the strength
of the PAP, and also Robert Kocharyan, who is less active in politics.
Another interesting observation is that the opposition began to unite
after, and not before, the election," Richard Giragosian stated.
NEWS.AM
March 05, 2013 | 12:56
YEREVAN. - The recent presidential election in Armenia should have been
more free and fair, and this could be considered a lost opportunity
for the country, Regional Studies Center Director, political analyst
Richard Giragosian said during a press conference on Tuesday.
He reflected on three matters: the pre-election season, the
significance of the election, and the current situation.
Giragosian noted that there was a lack of competition during the
pre-election season. He stressed that there was no doubt about the
election results, and this was the most non-competitive election in
Armenia's modern history. In his view, each day that followed the
February 18 election brought forth greater evidence of election fraud
and violations.
Giragosian also underscored the Armenian authorities' capacity to
hold elections. As per the analyst, during the pre-election season
the real challenges were concealed in the society's profound lack of
trust in elections
Reflecting on the significance of the election, Giragosian noted that
there is deep discontent in Armenia. In his words, some of the votes
received by opposition Heritage Party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian-who is
declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan,
as a result of the presidential election that was conducted on February
18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote-were not his own,
but rather an expression of dissatisfaction by Sargsyan.
"There were political ghosts and political corpses here [during the
election season]. The political ghost is former President Robert
Kocharyan, and the political corpse is the PAP [Prosperous Armenia
Party]. Here we saw a confirmation of the weakening of the strength
of the PAP, and also Robert Kocharyan, who is less active in politics.
Another interesting observation is that the opposition began to unite
after, and not before, the election," Richard Giragosian stated.