ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 22 2004

Monument to Lenin restored in Armenian town of Vajk

YEREVAN, April 22 (Itar-Tass) – Communist Party of Armenia has marked
the 134th birthday of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution leader
Vladimir Lenin (b. April 22, 1870) by restoring a monument to him in
the southeast Armenian town of Vajk.

Representatives of Communist Party branches, who gathered for the
reopening ceremony, said they were firmly set to work towards
Armenia’s return to the socialist path of development.

Spokespeople for the Communist Party’s Central Committee told
Itar-Tass a monument to Lenin had also been restored in Echmiadzin.

At gala conferences time for the date, the party organizations issued
membership cards to ten new Communists.

Also, several dozens school students have been solemnly accepted to
the ranks of young pioneers [a Soviet-era scout-type organization for
the children aged 9 to 14 years old] and to the Young Communist
League.

Armenia has several communist parties. Spokespeople for one of them,
the United Communist Party, said they preferred a more moderate
celebration of the world proletariat leader’s birthday.

`We give preference to painstaking everyday work and promulgation of
ideas among the people rather than to gala ceremonies,’ said sources
at that party’s headquarters.

Communist organizations do not have any seats in parliament at the
moment, as they failed last year’s parliamentary election.

This is the first time since 1918 that they are not represented in
parliament.