ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER MEETS DIASPORA IN LOS ANGELES
Arminfo
22 Jul 04
YEREVAN
A government change in Armenia has to be made only peacefully, Stepan
Demirchyan, leader of the Justice opposition bloc, said today during
his meeting with the Armenian community in Los Angeles. Demirchyan is
taking part in an international forum of leaders in Boston.
Rumours that the Armenian opposition has exhausted its potential are
wide of the mark. Even in summer the opposition did not go on holiday
and has been intensively preparing for the struggle against the
authorities this autumn, he said.
Demirchyan again touched on the issue of mass falsifications during
the 2003 presidential and parliamentary elections. Speaking about the
Armenian authorities’ fight against corruption, he said that this
struggle can be effective only after fair elections are held in
Armenia because people who have rigged the elections are not capable
of fighting corruption.
The authorities’ allegations about an unusually high economic growth
are also not true, he said, since this economic growth has not
reflected on the living conditions of the country’s population. “If
several people in Armenia have become very rich and have filled their
pockets, this does not mean that there is economic growth or that the
social welfare of the citizens has improved,” Demirchyan said.
During the 2003 presidential election, the Armenian community of Los
Angeles supported Demirchyan.