RETIRED GENERAL ACCUSED OF BULLYING RIVAL CANDIDATES
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
April 9 2007
Tensions were rising on Monday in an electoral district south of
Yerevan where the top pro-government candidate, the recently retired
General Seyran Saroyan, was implicated in attacks against his two
challengers reported over the weekend.
Hakob Hakobian, a controversial member of Armenia’s outgoing
parliament, claimed that unknown gunmen shot at his car while he
dined in a restaurant in the town of Echmiadzin on Sunday. The other
challenger, Susanna Harutiunian, reported an arson attack on her
campaign headquarters in Echmiadzin on the same day.
Both candidates pointed the finger at Saroyan, who has been endorsed
by the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). But Saroyan
strongly denied the allegations, saying that his rivals themselves
stage-managed the attacks in order to discredit him.
"We suspect that police officers were among the shooters," Hakobian
told RFE/RL. He alleged that they acted on orders from the regional
governor who in turn received instructions from Saroyan. "The governor
is doing everything to create an atmosphere of fear in the area ahead
of the elections," Hakobian said.
"He is trying to throw mud at me without feeling ashamed," countered
the feared general, who holds sway in Echmiadzin and the surrounding
area. "I guess even you won’t believe that I could have done such a
cheap thing," he told RFE/RL.
"Seyran Saroyan has once again proved that he is nuts," shot back
Hakobian. "How can someone shoot at himself?"
Police in Echmiadzin said they have launched a criminal investigation
into the reported shooting. They were also conducting forensic tests
at Harutiunian’s office to determine whether it was damaged by fire
or an arson attack.
Saroyan resigned as commander of Armenia’s Fourth Army Corps and was
discharged from the armed forces earlier this year to be able to run
for parliament. The move provoked speculation that the HHK is trying to
make sure that Hakobian, who joined the ruling party last year, is not
reelected to the National Assembly. Hakobian, better known as Choyt,
was charged with assault and tax evasion after allegedly instigating
a mass brawl outside a gas station near Echmiadzin last October.
In a further blow to the disgraced parliamentarian, the district
election commission has registered another candidate affiliated with
the HHK and named Hakob Hakobian. The latter is currently trying to
ensure that his influential namesake is disqualified from the race,
accusing him of forging voters’ signatures to win registration.
A court in Echmiadzin continued to consider the obscure candidate’s
complaint, endorsed by Saroyan, amid tight security on Monday.
Special police units from Yerevan were deployed in and round the
court house to prevent possible clashes between supporters of the
rival sides. "We have made commitments to different programmes and
we think compliance is in our interest," he said. We want to become
part of the European family."