THOUSANDS CHALLENGE VICTORY OF ARMENIAN PM IN PRESIDENTIAL VOTE

AP
Thursday February 21, 2008

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP): Thousands of angry opposition supporters marched
through Yerevan to protest the outcome of Armenia’s presidential vote,
which officials said was won by Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian.

The demonstrations raised concerns of instability in the volatile,
strategic country at the juncture of the energy-rich Caspian Sea
region and southern Europe.

However, with the West and key ally Russia signaling approval of
election, it was unclear whether the opposition would muster enough
support to mount a serious challenge and force a new vote — or spark
a mass uprising like those that occurred in other ex-Soviet republics.

Election officials said a final count showed Sarkisian with nearly 53
percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election — enough to win outright
and avoid a runoff. His main opponent, Levon Ter-Petrosian, had
21.5 percent.

The observer mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe said there were concerns about the vote count, but issued
a generally positive assessment.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has close ties
with Armenia, congratulated Sarkisian on his victory.

Ter-Petrosian’s backers have alleged widespread fraud, and 20,000
protesters gathered in central Yerevan on Wednesday, then marched
to the government headquarters, many shouting "Levon!" and raising
clenched fists — Ter-Petrosian’s campaign symbol.

Helmeted police blocked the building, and protesters moved on to
finish their rally at another square after darkness fell. Police
watched calmly from sidewalks and no incidents were reported.

"I would like to assure you that no one will be able to stop us from
making sure that the rule of law is observed," Ter-Petrosian told
cheering supporters.

His senior aide Nikol Pashinian, called another protest for Thursday
and warned supporters to dress warmly — a sign that the opposition
hoped for prolonged protests.

"They think we will shout a little and then go home, but this square
must get filled with twice as many people as the votes that Serge
stole," Pashinian said.

The claims of vote-rigging and beatings of activists enraged
many Armenians, but it was unclear how many people would turn
up for further demonstrations on a working day and in freezing
temperatures. Opposition efforts were also weakened by the lack of
outside support and the favorable coverage Sarkisian receives in
local media.

Yerevan was the scene of weeks long protests following outgoing
President Robert Kocharian’s re-election in 2003, which the opposition
also called fraudulent. The protests never gained momentum, however,
like in neighboring Georgia or Ukraine, where demonstrations brought
opposition leaders to power in what became known as the Rose and the
Orange revolutions.

Sarkisian was groomed by Kocharian and was widely expected to win,
in part because of favorable media coverage and support from the
state bureaucracy.

He has also benefited from economic improvements in recent years.

Sarkisian and Ter-Petrosian — Armenia’s first president after the
1991 Soviet collapse — were the two top contenders vying to lead the
South Caucasus nation, where more than a quarter of its 3.2 million
people live in poverty despite some economic progress in recent years.

The election campaign was dominated by the country’s economic revival
and efforts to resolve the status of Nagorno-Karabakh — a mountainous
region in neighboring Azerbaijan that has been under ethnic Armenian
control since a cease-fire ended six years of fighting in 1994.

Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday added an
element of uncertainty for Armenians, many of whom see clear analogies
between Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Armenian government says the region should be recognized as
a sovereign state, while Azerbaijan says it will never cede its
territory.