BAGHDASARIAN ATTACKS SARKISIAN OVER ‘DEATH THREATS’
By Emil Danielyan and Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 05 2008

Former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian insisted on Tuesday that
the Armenian authorities threatened to kill him and condemned Prime
Minister Serzh Sarkisian for laughing off the allegations.

Speaking to RFE/RL on Monday, Sarkisian dismissed them as a
"pre-election trick" designed to earn Baghdasarian more votes in
the upcoming presidential election. He argued that the opposition
presidential candidate did not turn to law-enforcement authorities
for help.

Baghdasarian rounded on the prime minister as he held a campaign
meeting in Hrazdan, a town in central Armenia. "No threat, no cheap
speculation can worry us," he told about 300 supporters who gathered
in a freezing conference hall there. "Serzh Sarkisian spoke yesterday
of a pre-election trick. It is his statement which was a pre-election
trick."

Baghdasarian again gave no details of death threats which he claims
to have received at the weekend. He promised on Sunday to elaborate
on the allegations "later on."

In his speech, the leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party again stated that
he is "actively" discussing with other opposition figures, notably
former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, the possibility of forming an
electoral alliance. "We are in the process of active negotiations
centering on a number of principles," he said. "We will certainly
inform the public soon about the results of the negotiations going
on in the political scene."

"There is no question that more and more people and forces understand
the need to effect systemic changes in Armenia," he added without
elaborating.

Baghdasarian refused to take questions from journalists after the
speech, and it remained unclear if he is ready to drop out of the
race in Ter-Petrosian’s favor. He did not rule out such possibility
on Sunday, while hinting that Ter-Petrosian should also consider
withdrawing his candidacy.

A parliament deputy from Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK), meanwhile,
claimed on Tuesday that the authorities are not concerned about the
possibility of the two main opposition candidates joining forces
before the first round of voting slated for February 19. "Even in the
event of a unification of candidates with zero chances of winning the
presidential election, the chances of that virtual single candidate
will be close to zero," said Armen Ashotian.

Ashotian said Ter-Petrosian and Baghdasarian should therefore "join"
Raffi Hovannisian, another top opposition leader who is not eligible
to stand in the election, in becoming "observers following the
presidential race."

"We are confidently and decisively moving forward, and our victory
will lead to a fundamental change of this lawless system," Baghdasarian
told residents of Hrazdan and nearby villages. "The situation existing
in Armenia today does not enable people to achieve success in their
own country."

Baghdasarian also repeated his allegations that the authorities are
deliberately keeping many Armenians below the poverty line in order
to buy their votes. He urged locals to spurn vote bribes which he
said will be offered to them by the Sarkisian campaign.

For her part, Heghine Bisharian, Baghdasarian’s outspoken campaign
manager, claimed that Sarkisian can not win the February ballot
without fraud. "They know that they will lose unless they resort to
falsifications," she said.

Sarkisian insisted in a campaign speech on Monday that he wants to
prevail in a free and fair vote and be seen as a legitimate president
by the domestic public and the international community.