Morning Star, UK
February 20, 2008 Wednesday
World – Armenians vote in ‘tainted’ election
Armenia held a presidential election on Tuesday, with main opposition
candidate and former president Levon Ter-Petrosian alleging
widespread violations.
The election campaign had focused on the economy in a country where
more than a quarter of the population lives in poverty. It was also
overshadowed by tension over the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian was the front-runner, having been
groomed by outgoing President Robert Kocharian.
Mr Sarkisian has also received favourable media coverage and has the
state bureaucracy at his service, as well as the momentum of his
government’s agenda.
Mr Ter-Petrosian alleged that there had been "hundreds, thousands of
violations."
"According to my information, very dirty things are being done," he
said after casting his vote in central Yerevan.
Ter-Petrosian spokesman Arman Museian said that dozens of his
supporters had been beaten by pro-government activists in various
parts of the country on Tuesday.
He also alleged widespread cases of ballot-stuffing and vote-buying.
The opposition has announced peaceful protests against electoral
fraud.
Mr Sarkisian needs to secure more than 50 per cent of the vote to
avoid a run-off.
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.
This mountainous region of Azerbaijan has been controlled by Armenian
and ethnic Armenian forces since a 1994 ceasefire ended a six-year
war that had killed about 30,000 people and displaced over a million.
The Armenian government wants Nagorno-Karabakh recognised as a
sovereign state, while Azerbaijan says that it will never cede its
territory.