Thousands continue protest of Armenian vote
The Associated Press
Published: February 24, 2008
YEREVAN, Armenia: Thousands of opposition supporters protested for a
fifth straight day in the Armenian capital Sunday, demanding a rerun of
the disputed presidential vote and denouncing the detention of several
allies in their confrontation with the government.
More than 20,000 people protested in a central square where the
opposition has maintained a round-the-clock vigil, and hundreds broke
away to march through the streets in the early evening. A tough warning
from the departing president raised concerns that the police could try
to disperse the demonstrators.
Supporters of the opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian allege that
the election Tuesday was rigged, and they are demanding a new vote. The
government says that Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan won the presidency
fairly and has urged the protesters to disperse.
Ter-Petrosian vowed not to give up.
"Those in power should not hope that I’ll leave here until I move into
the president’s house," he said.
The standoff has raised concerns about potential violence in a poor and
volatile country that is strategically located at the junction of the
Caspian Sea region and southern Europe, with Russia and Iran nearby.
Late Saturday, the departing president, Robert Kocharian, accused the
opposition of attempting to seize power and warned of "resolute and
firm" action to preserve order. The statement led to speculation that
the government would move to break up the protest, which has been
drawing up to 30,000 people daily.
On Sunday morning, an officer speaking through a bullhorn urged the
crowd in the square outside the Yerevan opera house to disperse. The
police did not take action against the protesters, but a number of
police and security forces were deployed in streets near the square.
Announcing final election results Sunday that were in line with a
preliminary count, the chief of the Central Election Commission,
Garegin Azarian, said that Sargsyan had received nearly 53 percent of
the vote enough to win outright and avoid a runoff. He said that
Ter-Petrosian, who was seeking a comeback after serving as independent
Armenia’s first president in the 1990s after the Soviet collapse, had
won 21.5 percent.