LEVON ZURABIAN: AUTHORITIES HELD REGULAR CRIMINAL ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
June 1, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian National Congress Coordinator
Levon Zurabian stated in his interview to journalists late in
the evening of May 31 that the Armenian authorities held regular
"criminal elections."

According to him, this election is characterized by universal voter
buying.

According to PPA representative Grigor Haroutiunian, Yerevan
Council of Elders elections are like all previous elections held in
Armenia. "During the elections it was unequivocally felt that the
"lawful master" in our town, in our country is the criminal element."

According to Radio Liberty, at another press conference held late
in the evening the same day Zharangutiun party Board Chairwoman
Anahit Bakhshian classed the elections as "to the highest degree
undisciplined." "Starting the Central Electoral Commission, members
and chairmen of neither district nor polling station commissions feel
responsible to this important state event," she said.

Armen Martirosian, the head of the Zharangutiun parliamentary faction,
assessed the elections very negatively. First of all, according to
him, forced voting took place from the start to the end, which had
nothing in common with voting. Second, many cases of violence were
recorded. "I think the Police worked just disgracefully. Besides,
voter buying, stuffing of ballot boxes with ballot papers took place,
especially in the evening in Davitashen, Malatia. "It shows that this
time also the authorities did not fail to control the elections, did
not display neglect in their duties, but deliberately organized the
violations that became the basis of this whole systematized mechanism
of violations," A. Martirosian said.