Lragir, Armenia
Feb 15 2008

OPPOSITION AND GOVERNMENT EXCHANGED ONE SEAT EACH

On February 20 the opposition and the government will exchange their
seats, stated Vahagn Khachatryan, the spokesman for the presidential
candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan, on February 15 who had taken the seat
of Republican Samvel Nikoyan while the latter addressed the
discussion held by the National Press Club and the U.S. National
Democratic Institute, and Nikoyan had taken Vahagn Khachatryan’s
vacant seat.

Vahagn Khachatryan noted that the campaign revealed the panic and
alarm in the government because despite forecasts Levon Ter-Petrosyan
was able to bring together a major social and political potential and
the public. Among the signs of panic in government Vahagn Khachatryan
mentioned the actions of the businessman, Republican Member of
Parliament Samvel Alexanyan in Malatia-Sebastia community. Vahagn
Khachatryan who is in charge of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s election office
in this community says Samvel Alexanyan is intimidating or bribing
the members of the election commissions appointed by the Heritage
Party, or Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s team members appointed by the
Heritage Party. Besides, Vahagn Khachatryan says Samvel Alexanyan
gives bribes to voters, and instructions to the tax service to check
and pressure on people who support Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

`However, we do not have a problem, it is going to end,’ Vahagn
Khachatryan says. However, according to Vahagn Khachatryan, he does
not believe that the presidential election will be compliant, as the
representatives of the government say. As to Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s
offensive statements against the government, Vahagn Khachatryan says
it is a fact that the level of corruption in the country is extremely
high, and even international evaluations state that the most corrupt
link in Armenia is the president administration.

Vahagn Khachatryan urged the election commissions to be mindful
before they commit or help others to commit election fraud that it is
a crime. `And I do not know whether it is amnestied,’ Vahagn
Khachatryan says.