Agence France Presse — English
February 21, 2008 Thursday 10:01 PM GMT

Armenian opposition readies for long protest

by Michael Mainville

YEREVAN, Feb 21 2008

Armenian opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian on Thursday called on
tens of thousands of supporters to keep up mass protests against
presidential election results.

Crowds of up to 25,000 demonstrated on Freedom Square in the capital
Yerevan against results from Tuesday’s polls that gave Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian victory.

As night fell the crowd thinned but some 10,000 remained and
protesters set up a handful of tents.

Amid sub-zero temperatures demonstrators danced in circles
accompanied by traditional Armenian music, while others distributed
hot pies.

"Starting from this moment our protests will not end," opposition
activist Nikol Pashenian told the crowd. "Freedom Square will be the
centre of our protests until the authorities leave."

Addressing the crowd, Ter-Petrosian said two deputy defence ministers
were in talks with senior military officials to ensure the safety of
the crowd.

"They will not let the army be used against the people,"
Ter-Petrosian said. "All of the leaders of the military are united
with the people."

He called on university students to boycott classes and join protests
on Friday.

But in an interview with AFP, Sarkisian pointed to an international
appraisal of the vote as "mostly" in line with international
standards and described the protests as "blackmail" and a
"provocation."

"I’m sure they will fail…. If they are not capable of winning an
election we are not to blame for that," he said.

Asked whether the authorities would use force against the protesters,
he said "it’s difficult to say immediately…. The law enforcement
agencies will decide on the proper course."

"We are obliged to respect the rights of the people. If they don’t
disturb anyone they are free to do so…. But if they disturb others,
the law enforcement agencies will take action according to the law,"
Sarkisian said.

Ter-Petrosian told AFP the demonstrations would remain peaceful.

"It’s a peaceful, cheerful meeting," he said. "There will be no
disorder and we will not break the law".

Official results gave 52.9 percent of the vote to Sarkisian, the
choice of outgoing President Robert Kocharian, who is obliged to step
down after his second term. Ter-Petrosian trailed with 21.5 percent.

Ter-Petrosian has described the conduct of the election as
"shameful," alleging that dozens of his activists were beaten on
election day and that ballot stuffing, multiple voting and voter
intimidation were widespread.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe described the election as "mostly" in line with international
standards. The US State Department said it was "concerned" at reports
of problems in the count.

Kocharian hand-picked the prime minister to succeed him after
Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia swept parliamentary polls
last May.

Together they have been credited with ensuring relative stability and
strong growth. But critics accuse the government of tolerating
widespread corruption and cracking down on opponents.

Analysts predict Sarkisian will follow Kocharian’s policies, pursuing
close ties with Moscow and a hawkish stance in relations with
neighbouring Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The latter two have cut diplomatic ties and sealed their borders with
Armenia over its support for Armenian separatists in the rebel
Azerbaijani region of Nagorny Karabakh.

Ankara has also been angered by Yerevan’s campaign to have the World
War I-era mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire recognised
as genocide.

Ter-Petrosian has called for a more conciliatory approach with
Azerbaijan and Turkey.

But on Thursday Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul sent congratulations
to Sarkisian and called for a normalisation of ties, saying he hoped
"our joint efforts will create an atmosphere based on stability,
mutual trust and cooperation."