AZG Armenian Daily #007, 16/01/2008

Presidential Elections

VAZGEN MANOUKIAN’ELECTION OFFICE’S FORECAST OF COMING
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND SELF-DECEPTION OF LEVON
TER-PETROSIAN

"During the news conference on January 11 Levon
Ter-Petrosian said answering the question of reporters
that he will not break fences and beat the president
of the parliament hinting at the popular movement
against presidential election in 1996. The popular
movement of 1996 was the consequence of the
presidential election falsified by the ruling regime.
The people and the political forces participating in
the movement want to live in a democratic country and
stand up for their votes when the regime tampers their
votes.

When Levon Ter-Petrosian condemns the uprising in
1996, his strictures are not only against Vazgen
Manoukian but also a fair election to shape a
democratic government. The Constitutional Court shaped
in accordance with the Constitution establishing
autocracy did not accept that the election of 1996 was
rigged, like it later denied that the presidential
election of 2003 and the parliamentary election of
2007 were falsified. As to the percentages concocted
after the falsified elections of 1996, 1998, 2003,
which are ascribed to Vazgen Manoukian, Levon
Ter-Petrosian who manipulates them should admit that
the votes ascribed to father and son Demirchians in
1998 and 2003 are true. Besides, although he stated
that all the elections held after him were falsified,
he nevertheless congratulated Robert Kocharian in
1998.Finally, nobody doubts that Levon Ter-Petrosian’s
resignation in 1998 was the consequence of the
election of 1996. If the official results of the
election of 1996 had been true, and Levon
Ter-Petrosian had received the officially announced
number of votes, people would hardly have accepted his
resignation with silent agreement.

Vazgen Manoukian election office states that one of
the points of his election program is the adoption of
a new Constitution which will enable mechanisms to
prevent election fraud, ensure the independence of the
judicial power from the executive and prevalence of
justice over the will of the person at the top of
government. It will enable us to rid of the regime
holding on to power through the tradition of the
Constitution of 1995 and take the track for
development.

By Nana Petrosian, translated by K.A.