Tweet
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REJECTS ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS
http://asbarez.com/108778/constitutional-court-rejects-election-fraud-claims/
Thursday, March 14th, 2013
The Constitutional Court issues verdic on election fraud claims (Photolure)
YEREVAN-Armenia's Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld the results
of the February 18 presidential elections in Armenia, rejecting claims
filed by two opposition candidates who alleged wide-spread fraud.
"The decision is to uphold the Central Election Committee's decision
from February 25 on the results of the presidential elections from
February 18," said Constitutional Court President Gagik Harutunian.
The decision cannot be appealed.
The CEC announced the official results late last month giving
President Sarkisian 58.6 percent of the votes and registering 37
percent for opposition candidate Raffi Hovannisian.
Claims of wide-spread elections fraud and voter-rigging resulted into
a popular movement led by Hovannisian, who is currently staging a
hunger strike at Yerevan's Liberty Square, the site of protests of
thousands of Armenians who are propelling the movement.
"We will continue our political fight within the framework of law and
constitution until we win," said Hovsep Khurshudyan, spokesman for
Hovannisian's Heritage Party.
A member of Armenia's Constitutional Court on Wednesday expressed
concern over irregularities reported during last month's presidential
election, saying that they have fuelled public distrust in its
official results.
Kim Balayan spoke of many Armenians' "dissatisfaction" with the
official vote results as he questioned a police representative during
a court hearing on opposition appeals to annul the February 18 vote.
He said he wants to have a "clear conscience" when deciding whether to
back the appeals lodged by Hovannisian and Andreas Ghukasian, an
election outsider.
"Whether or not those violations affected the overall [election
result] is a separate matter," said Balayan. "But it's obvious that
there were violations." He wondered if law-enforcement authorities
need "additional levers" to detect fraud.
Representatives of the police and prosecutors testifying at the
hearing said the police investigated more than 250 reports of fraud
but in the vast majority of those cases presumed eyewitnesses were
unwilling to come forward when contacted by law-enforcement officers.
Zaruhi Postanjian, a representative of Hovannisian, attributed this to
an "atmosphere of fear."
Last week, Armenian presidential election observer of OSCE and former
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ireland Dermot Ahern
sent a letter to Armenian Bar Association Chairman Garo Ghazarian
http://asbarez.com/108717/osce-observer-details-voter-fraud-in-armenia/][
detailing fraud he witnessed during the February 18 election,
particularly in Precinct 26/1, where he claims a landslide for Raffi
Hovannisian was converted into a victory for the incumbent.
From: Baghdasarian
http://asbarez.com/108778/constitutional-court-rejects-election-fraud-claims/
Thursday, March 14th, 2013
The Constitutional Court issues verdic on election fraud claims (Photolure)
YEREVAN-Armenia's Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld the results
of the February 18 presidential elections in Armenia, rejecting claims
filed by two opposition candidates who alleged wide-spread fraud.
"The decision is to uphold the Central Election Committee's decision
from February 25 on the results of the presidential elections from
February 18," said Constitutional Court President Gagik Harutunian.
The decision cannot be appealed.
The CEC announced the official results late last month giving
President Sarkisian 58.6 percent of the votes and registering 37
percent for opposition candidate Raffi Hovannisian.
Claims of wide-spread elections fraud and voter-rigging resulted into
a popular movement led by Hovannisian, who is currently staging a
hunger strike at Yerevan's Liberty Square, the site of protests of
thousands of Armenians who are propelling the movement.
"We will continue our political fight within the framework of law and
constitution until we win," said Hovsep Khurshudyan, spokesman for
Hovannisian's Heritage Party.
A member of Armenia's Constitutional Court on Wednesday expressed
concern over irregularities reported during last month's presidential
election, saying that they have fuelled public distrust in its
official results.
Kim Balayan spoke of many Armenians' "dissatisfaction" with the
official vote results as he questioned a police representative during
a court hearing on opposition appeals to annul the February 18 vote.
He said he wants to have a "clear conscience" when deciding whether to
back the appeals lodged by Hovannisian and Andreas Ghukasian, an
election outsider.
"Whether or not those violations affected the overall [election
result] is a separate matter," said Balayan. "But it's obvious that
there were violations." He wondered if law-enforcement authorities
need "additional levers" to detect fraud.
Representatives of the police and prosecutors testifying at the
hearing said the police investigated more than 250 reports of fraud
but in the vast majority of those cases presumed eyewitnesses were
unwilling to come forward when contacted by law-enforcement officers.
Zaruhi Postanjian, a representative of Hovannisian, attributed this to
an "atmosphere of fear."
Last week, Armenian presidential election observer of OSCE and former
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ireland Dermot Ahern
sent a letter to Armenian Bar Association Chairman Garo Ghazarian
http://asbarez.com/108717/osce-observer-details-voter-fraud-in-armenia/][
detailing fraud he witnessed during the February 18 election,
particularly in Precinct 26/1, where he claims a landslide for Raffi
Hovannisian was converted into a victory for the incumbent.
From: Baghdasarian