Baghdasarian Critical of Election, Government, Ter-Petrossian

RFE/RL reports that Orinats Yerkir party leader Artur Baghdasarian has criticized the conduct of last weeks presidential election in Armenia. However, while alleging widespread fraud as well as the detention of several Ter-Petrossian supporters, Baghdasarian has also ruled out cooperating with the former president.

According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), Baghdasarian polled more than 16 percent of the vote, trailing Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and former President Levon Ter-Petrosian who got 52.8 percent and 21.5 percent respectively.

The leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party claimed that he won considerably more votes than were shown by the CEC. He said this was the result of a deliberate miscounting of ballots and other violations committed by election officials on polling day.

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Baghdasarian also criticized the authorities for arresting leading supporters of Ter-Petrosian in response to his campaign of non-stop street protests against the official vote results. The 40-year-old ex-speaker also faulted Ter-Petrosian for describing himself as the rightful winner of the vote.

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Baghdasarian revealed on Tuesday that he is engaged in a fresh “political dialogue” with the Ter-Petrosian camp but made it clear that he will not join the popular movement led by the ex-president. “I can’t join a man who has declared himself president,” he told reporters.

Photo: © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008