Armenia: Opposition Cautiously Optimistic

RFE/RL reports that representatives of the only remaining opposition party in parliament are “cautiously optimistic” that post-election tensions can be defused. Interestingly, Raffi Hovannisian’s Heritage party’s hopes come after the speech made by Armenia’s new president, Serge Sargsyan, on the occasion of his inauguration.

“I think there is an opportunity today to overcome the crisis created in Armenia through real steps,” Safarian told reporters. “Otherwise, the authorities may find themselves in ten times as big and undesirable a crisis than the deadlock that has been created for the country’s political opposition today.”

Safarian thinks that while it is only fair to give the new president a 100-day period in office for evaluations, some issues need prompt solutions.

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In his inauguration speech on Wednesday Sarkisian sought to reach out to hundreds of thousands of Armenians who voted for other presidential candidates, including former president Levon Ter-Petrosian. “A part of our people supported other candidates, and I now appeal to them: it was your right to vote for someone other than me, but I do not have the right not to be your president,” he, in particular, said, and then suggested: “Even if a wall of misunderstanding stands between us, I urge you to join us in eliminating that wall.”