VOICELESS: RALLIES OF THE OPPOSITION CONTINUES IN YEREVAN, ARMENIA
by Ivan Sukhov
Translated by Aleksei Ignatkin

What the Papers Say (Russia)
February 29, 2008 Friday

Supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosjan demand annulment of the outcome of
the presidential election.

Supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosjan, the first president of Armenia,
keep arranging protest rallies and demonstrations and demanding
annulment of the outcome of the presidential election on February 19.

The Armenian National Security Service in the meantime appealed to the
opposition not to interfere with its usual work (protesters seized
two plainclothesmen as "provocateurs" the other day but released
them soon). The Armenian police asked the protesters to maintain
public order. Manifestations in front of the Opera Theater, however,
continue day and night. Ter-Petrosjan himself never leaves the square,
apparently in the hope that his status of the former president would
prevent dispersal of the protest action by the police. Rallies in
the square evolve into daily demonstrations all over the city.

Ter-Petrosjan met with Peter Semneby of the European Union and assured
him that the opposition intended to stick to legitimate forms of
protests only.

Addressing one of the rallies, Ter-Petrosjan called what was happening
in Armenia a "bourgeois-democratic revolution" that would put an
end to the feudal regime in the country. So far, the "revolution"
has only come down to rallies, demonstrations, and an appeal to
the Constitutional Court to void the outcome of the election. The
Constitutional Court has ten days to respond.

The authorities in the meantime increase pressure on the opposition.

Several supporters of Ter-Petrosjan and officials who had joined
the opposition were arrested. Armenian law enforcement agencies are
on a lookout for Nikol Pashinjan, young opposition leader who has
orchestrated all rallies in Yerevan.

Source: Vremya Novostei, No 33, February 29, 2008, p. 2