ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PROTESTS ENTER 8TH DAY
Voice of America
Feb 27 2008
Opposition supporter gestures during rally in Yervan, 26 Feb 2008
Tens of thousands of Armenian opposition supporters have rallied
in the capital for the eighth straight day protesting the contested
results of last week’s presidential election.
Protesters Wednesday flooded central Yerevan to hear opposition
leaders call for the annulment of the February 19 election results.
That poll gave Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan a victory over former
President Levon Ter-Petrosian.
Wednesday’s rally follows a massive demonstration Tuesday, with
protesters setting up an encampment overnight near central Yerevan’s
Freedom Square.
Outgoing President Robert Kocharian, who backed candidate Sarkisyan,
used a television broadcast Tuesday to warn protesters that government
patience with the unsanctioned protests is wearing thin.
Sunday, Armenian police said they detained a former deputy
prosecutor-general and several opposition activists, as the protests
grew. Prosecutor Gagik Jhangirian was arrested a day after he was
fired for joining the opposition.
Authorities said two ambassadors and a deputy foreign minister had
also been fired for joining the protests.
The opposition is demanding a new election. Official results gave
Mr. Sarkisyan nearly 53 percent of the vote, to just over 21 percent
for Mr. Ter-Petrosian.