Tweet
KGMI
March 10 2013
Armenian opposition chief on hunger strike over lost election
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Former Armenian presidential candidate Raffi
Hovannisian began a hunger strike on Sunday calling on President Serzh
Sarksyan to resign, accusing him of rigging his re-election last
month.
Hovannisian, leader of the opposition Heritage Party took 37 percent
of the vote in the February 18 election while Sarksyan was declared
the victor with 58.6 percent. Hovannisian objected and filed a
complaint with the Constitutional Court.
"This is not just a hunger strike, but a boycott against lies and
fraud," Hovannisian told hundreds of his supporters at a rally in the
capital Yerevan's central Freedom square.
"If on April 9 (inauguration day) Sarksyan takes his fake oath on the
Constitution and the Holy Bible and the Supreme Patriarch...blesses
the candidate, who mocks the people, then that will happen over my
dead body," he said.
The Constitutional Court is to start considering Hovannisian's
complaint on Monday. The central election commission said last month
there were no legal violations during the vote that could have
influenced the outcome.
Hovannisian, a U.S.-born former foreign minister of the landlocked
ex-Soviet republic, submitted 70 complaints to the electoral
commission, which responded by saying the documents were based neither
on facts nor legal evidence.
International election monitors said the poll was an improvement from
previous ones but that it still lacked real competition after some of
Sarksyan's adversaries decided not to run, fearing the results would
be skewed.
Since the election, the opposition has held several peaceful rallies
to protest against alleged vote rigging.
Investors worry about any signs of instability in the South Caucasus
state, where 10 people were killed in violence that followed
Sarksyan's initial election in 2008.
Armenia, a country of 3.2 million people, hosts one of Russia's few
foreign military bases and is part of a post-Soviet security alliance
dominated by Moscow. It borders Iran, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan.
(Reporting by Hasmik Lazarian; Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing
by Mark Heinrich)
http://kgmi.com/Armenian-opposition-chief-on-hunger-strike-over-lo/11461924?newsId=198654
March 10 2013
Armenian opposition chief on hunger strike over lost election
YEREVAN (Reuters) - Former Armenian presidential candidate Raffi
Hovannisian began a hunger strike on Sunday calling on President Serzh
Sarksyan to resign, accusing him of rigging his re-election last
month.
Hovannisian, leader of the opposition Heritage Party took 37 percent
of the vote in the February 18 election while Sarksyan was declared
the victor with 58.6 percent. Hovannisian objected and filed a
complaint with the Constitutional Court.
"This is not just a hunger strike, but a boycott against lies and
fraud," Hovannisian told hundreds of his supporters at a rally in the
capital Yerevan's central Freedom square.
"If on April 9 (inauguration day) Sarksyan takes his fake oath on the
Constitution and the Holy Bible and the Supreme Patriarch...blesses
the candidate, who mocks the people, then that will happen over my
dead body," he said.
The Constitutional Court is to start considering Hovannisian's
complaint on Monday. The central election commission said last month
there were no legal violations during the vote that could have
influenced the outcome.
Hovannisian, a U.S.-born former foreign minister of the landlocked
ex-Soviet republic, submitted 70 complaints to the electoral
commission, which responded by saying the documents were based neither
on facts nor legal evidence.
International election monitors said the poll was an improvement from
previous ones but that it still lacked real competition after some of
Sarksyan's adversaries decided not to run, fearing the results would
be skewed.
Since the election, the opposition has held several peaceful rallies
to protest against alleged vote rigging.
Investors worry about any signs of instability in the South Caucasus
state, where 10 people were killed in violence that followed
Sarksyan's initial election in 2008.
Armenia, a country of 3.2 million people, hosts one of Russia's few
foreign military bases and is part of a post-Soviet security alliance
dominated by Moscow. It borders Iran, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan.
(Reporting by Hasmik Lazarian; Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing
by Mark Heinrich)
http://kgmi.com/Armenian-opposition-chief-on-hunger-strike-over-lo/11461924?newsId=198654