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Hunger-strike day 8: Armenians sign petition to back ex-candidate
(video, photos)
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/03/17/liberty-square/
15:06 - 17.03.13
A petition campaign is being held in Yerevan's Liberty Square in
support of Raffi Hovhannisian, the opposition Heritage party's leader,
who declared a hunger-strike last Sunday to protest the election
results.
A former lawmaker of Heritage, Anahit Bakhshyan, has been at the
protest site since morning to organize the petition. But she wasn't
able to say how many signatures had been collected, noting that their
number changes very quickly. `We collect [the signatures] and take
them to the office. But the number changes all the time, so its isn't
right to indicate a figure,' she told Tert.am.
Hovhannisian, who was Serzh Sargsyan's key rival in last month's
presidential election, launched his Revolution of Salute after the
official voting results were announced, claiming that that the
election was rigged to secure the incumbent president's victory.
Before declaring a hunger-strike, Hovhannisian conducted a tour to
several regions of Armenia. Earlier, he had rallied crowds of
supporters in Liberty Square to dispute the voting outcomes.
Commenting on the purposes of the petition, Bakhshyan said they expect
to gather thousands of signature in that way as a counterbalance to
one signature by Tigran Mukuchyan, the president of the Central
Election Commission of Armenia.
`That is, if one signature is enough there for declaring a president,
we say, with thousands of signatures, that the president is Raffi
Hovhannisian,' she explained.
Asked about the document's legal justification, Bakshyan said she was
surprised to hear the question raised. `I am surprised that a question
regarding the legal aspect is being raised in Armenia. This is just a
step. Were there lawfulness, hunger-strike would not be a way for
raising the country's problem.s But it is a fact Raffi wishes to prove
something through self-sacrifice and to unite as all,' she added.
(video, photos)
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2013/03/17/liberty-square/
15:06 - 17.03.13
A petition campaign is being held in Yerevan's Liberty Square in
support of Raffi Hovhannisian, the opposition Heritage party's leader,
who declared a hunger-strike last Sunday to protest the election
results.
A former lawmaker of Heritage, Anahit Bakhshyan, has been at the
protest site since morning to organize the petition. But she wasn't
able to say how many signatures had been collected, noting that their
number changes very quickly. `We collect [the signatures] and take
them to the office. But the number changes all the time, so its isn't
right to indicate a figure,' she told Tert.am.
Hovhannisian, who was Serzh Sargsyan's key rival in last month's
presidential election, launched his Revolution of Salute after the
official voting results were announced, claiming that that the
election was rigged to secure the incumbent president's victory.
Before declaring a hunger-strike, Hovhannisian conducted a tour to
several regions of Armenia. Earlier, he had rallied crowds of
supporters in Liberty Square to dispute the voting outcomes.
Commenting on the purposes of the petition, Bakhshyan said they expect
to gather thousands of signature in that way as a counterbalance to
one signature by Tigran Mukuchyan, the president of the Central
Election Commission of Armenia.
`That is, if one signature is enough there for declaring a president,
we say, with thousands of signatures, that the president is Raffi
Hovhannisian,' she explained.
Asked about the document's legal justification, Bakshyan said she was
surprised to hear the question raised. `I am surprised that a question
regarding the legal aspect is being raised in Armenia. This is just a
step. Were there lawfulness, hunger-strike would not be a way for
raising the country's problem.s But it is a fact Raffi wishes to prove
something through self-sacrifice and to unite as all,' she added.