euronews, France
05/07/2008
Armenian opposition turn up heat on president
Thousands of opposition supporters have taken to the streets in the
Armenian capital, Yerevan calling for the resignation of President
Serzh Sarksyan and new elections.
They accuse the authorities of rigging the ballot in February that
brought him to power. Sarksyan was the candidate chosen by the then
outgoing president, Robert Kocharyan, to succeed him.
Since then tensions have been high in the Caucusas nation, sometimes
erupting into violence. Nine people died in clashes between protesters
and the army in March. The opposition say they intend to escalate
their campaign to force Sarksyan to resign.
At a meeting ahead of today’s rally opposition leader Levon
Ter-Petrosyan urged people to stage mass-meetings, pickets and
sit-ins. Ter-Petroysan, a former president himself, was placed under
house-arrest after February’s vote but was later released.