ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DEMANDS SNAP ELECTIONS TO OVERCOME CRISIS

RIA Novosti
April 6, 2010
YEREVAN

Members of a radical opposition movement in Armenia will hold a rally
and a march on Tuesday to demand a snap election in the country.

The Armenian National Congress (HAK) continues to insist that the
elections should be held by September to avoid severe political
and economic crisis in the country under incumbent President Serzh
Sargsyan.

HAK coordinator Levon Zurabyan earlier said the current authorities
had lost control over all spheres of life in Armenia.

The first Armenian president and HAK leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who
lost the 2008 presidential election to Sargsyan in what opposition
claims to be "a heavily rigged" vote, will deliver a speech during
the rally.

Following the 2008 election, Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters rejected the
official results declaring victory for Serzh Sargsyan and organized
street protests.

On the night of March 2, 2008, violent clashes broke out between the
police and the opposition, leaving ten dead. The government announced
a state of emergency and police arrested over 100 supporters of
the opposition.

These developments have deepened divisions in Armenian society,
which has been in political turmoil ever since.

While the opposition remains relatively fragmented, the ruling
authorities have failed to consolidate their power due to the lack
of progress in relations with Turkey, stalled talks with Azerbaijan
on the Nagorny-Karabakh issue and the deepening economic recession.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress