PPA SPOKESPERSON: GAGIK BEGLARIAN HAS GREAT EXPERIENCE OF RIGGING ELECTIONS

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 7, 2009
YEREVAN

"The authors of the hooligan, criminal actions committed lately are
either officials or officials’ children," Ruzan Khachatrian, a Board
member of the People’s Party of Armenia (PPA), PPA Spokesperson, a
member of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), stated at the April
7 press conference stressing that such people are convinced of their
impunity and consider themselves above the law. "And that is the reason
than makes me and my friends continue the political struggle," R.

Khachatrian said. In her words, though hooligan actions were also
committed 15 years ago, the current atmosphere is much worse.

R. Khachatrian said that PPA was one of the first forces making part
of ANC to propose first President Levon Ter-Petrosian heading the ANC
electoral roll in the May 31 Yerevan Council of Elders elections. The
party Spokesperson classed as natural the circumstance that Stepan
Demirchian’s name was mentioned in the second place, as, according
to her characterization, S. Demirchian is a very popular person
who succeeded in the 2003 presidential elections. "The forthcoming
elections are not merely Mayor’s elections: they are perceived as
people’s movement’s regular stage," R. Khachatrian said.

In response to the question of what strategy PPA will adopt if
it does not win the elections the oppositionist stated that she
does not think of "if-s." "ANC should win and that’s all. There is
rather big potential and all preconditions for it," R. Khachatrian
said. She expressed the hope that they will manage to efficiently
fight falsifications in the May 31 elections, though Gagik Beglarian
appointed on Mayor’s post "has great experience of rigging elections."