This is true both inside and outside Armenia. Internally, it is obviously an attempt to capture the votes of other candidates running against Serge Sargsyan.

Outside of Armenia it is to create the illusion of an opposition leader with such overwhelming support behind him (even if he doesn’t have it) that street protests and likely civil unrest are justified.

Actually, it’s all about which candidate will make it through to a likely second round to challenge Sargsyan and on that, the situation is still unclear.

It’s also another reason why Heritage are waiting, unless other candidates unite around a common main candidate prior to the 19 February presidential election.

Anyway, it’s all a game of propaganda and misinformation, basically, and RFE/RL is part of that. On the other hand, at least they’ve stopped referring to Ter-Petrossian as the main challenger in recent days.

19:24 28/01/2008
“NO FAVORITE IN OPPOSITIONAL CANDIDATES”

Today RA president candidate Vazgen Manukyan met with the journalists and said “there is not a single oppositional favorite in the pre election time”.

He said that the electors’ votes are shared among the oppositional and governmental candidates, and after those votes are collected in the hands of one oppositional candidate and this candidate will participate in the second stage of the presidential elections.

”There is not a leader who is followed by a great army and which will win Serzh Sargsyan. Thus it is very important that the oppositional votes will not covered by the government candidate,” he said.

According to him it is impossible to fight against the second stage, thus who gets many voices, he will fight against Serzh Sargsyan.

Source: Panorama.am

Also, Raffi Hovannisian has ceded hundreds of seats in Armenian election commissions, reserved for Zharangutyun, to political allies of another leading contender, former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, rather than Dashnaktsutyun.

Firstly, one can suppose Heritage made this decision so that every main political party was represented on election commissions. As it happens, the ARF-D and Orints Yerkir already are sothere’s no need for them to gain more seats. Instead, Heritage approached those parties with candidates not represented on PECs, TECs, or in the CEC.

Secondly, Heritage did not just cede them to the pro-Ter-Petrossian People’s and Republic party, it also ceded them to the very anti-Ter-Petrossian National Democratic Union of Vazgen Manukian. Indeed, Manukian is perhaps the most outspoken critic of Ter-Petrossian’s return to active politics.

Ironically, RFE/RL even reported all of this last week, but seems to have conveniently forgotten it now, just as it overlooked the first case of election-related violence in the official pre-election campaign period when Ter-Petrossian supporters beat a heckler in Talin.

Concerning to say the least.