SERGE SARKISIAN SWORN IN AS ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT

The Associated Press
April 9, 2008

YEREVAN, Armenia: Serge Sarkisian was sworn in Wednesday as Armenia’s
third president since the Soviet collapse, nearly two months after
an election that opposition groups criticized as rigged.

Sarkisian, a former prime minister, was tapped by Robert Kocharian
to be his successor.

"May God give me strength not to disappoint my supporters, to overcome
all difficulties and to find a recipe for resolving the problems of
those who are disappointed and have lost hope, those who need hope,
faith and optimism," he said in a live televised inaugural address
before parliament.

Western observers issued an overall positive assessment of the Feb. 19
election, but noted serious flaws, especially during the vote count.

Supporters of Sarkisian’s election challenger, former President Levon
Ter-Petrosian, and other opposition activists staged mass protests
in the capital, Yerevan, after the vote, alleging fraud.

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Shortly after his inauguration, Sarkisian signed a decree appointing
his namesake, Central Bank chief Tigran Sarkisian, as the country’s
new prime minister.