Elections in Armenia

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Ter-Petrosian, Dashnaks Agree On ‘Civilized Struggle’ In Historic Talks



Levon Ter-Petrosian and top leaders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) agreed to make their long-running bitter feud more “civilized” during a sensational weekend meeting initiated by Armenia’s former president. The meeting, held at the Dashnaktsutyun headquarters in Yerevan on Saturday, came as a further indication that Ter-Petrosian is leaning towards contesting the approaching presidential election. It was the first time that he set foot in the offices of a party which he had accused of terrorist activity and banned during his rule.

Ter-Petrosian was accompanied by Aleksandr Arzumanian, a former foreign minister and his longtime close associate. They were received by Hrant Markarian, the top member of Dashnaktsutyun’s worldwide governing Bureau, and Armen Rustamian, the nominal head of the nationalist party’s organization in Armenia. Participants of the talks, which lasted for less than an hour, told RFE/RL that they focused on the political situation in Armenia and, in particular, the unfolding preparations for next year’s crucial presidential election.

“We agreed, among other things, to stay within the bounds of a political, ideological struggle and not to descend to a lower level,” said Markarian. They also stressed the need to create an “atmosphere of tolerance and solidarity in the country,” he said.

“It is important for the two parties that the pre-election debate be civilized and political in nature,” said Arzumanian. In his words, the meeting was part of Ter-Petrosian’s ongoing pre-election consultations with “important political forces.”

The very fact of such an encounter is quite extraordinary given the extent of mutual animosity which Dashnaktsutyun and Armenia’s first-Communist government headed by Ter-Petrosian developed even before the Soviet collapse. The two sides strongly disagreed on Armenia’s geopolitical priorities, with Dashnaktsutyun insisting on continued reliance on Russia and a firm Armenian stand on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and relations with Turkey. The Ter-Petrosian administration, by contrast, embraced a more pro-Western agenda and did not regard recognition of the 1915 genocide as a precondition for normalizing Turkish-Armenian ties.

Their feud culminated in Ter-Petrosian’s decision in December 1994 to ban Dashnaktsutyun on the grounds that it violated Armenia’s law on political parties and allegedly harbored a death squad. Markarian and Rustamian were among dozens of party activities arrested and imprisoned in 1994 and 1995 on murder and coup charges denied by the nationalist party as politically motivated. Most of them were set free shortly after Ter-Petrosian resigned and was replaced by Robert Kocharian in early 1998.

“We deliberately avoided talking about the past because I think all of us should worry more about the future of our country and our people,” said Markarian.

“Today is not the time to talk about that,” Spartak Seyranian, a Dashnaktsutyun parliamentarian, agreed on Monday. “But I have a very good memory and think that nobody in our organization suffers from a loss of memory.”

“We are not forgetting or departing from our ideological differences, but will try to concentrate our debate during the entire electoral process exclusively on ideas, programs and proposals,” he explained. Despite being part of Armenia’s governing coalition, Dashnaktsutyun has pointedly refused to help Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian become Armenia’s next president and has decided to field its own presidential candidate instead. The party has repeatedly deplored Sarkisian’s and Kocharian’s reliance on wealthy government-connected individuals, many of them with dubious reputations. While reaffirming their highly negative attitude towards Ter-Petrosian, its leaders say they would welcome his participation in the presidential election as it would reduce the role of what they call “apolitical elements” in the country’s political life.

“I think he should run so that the political landscape has a more natural structure and every person, every force has its right place there,” Markarian told RFE/RL. He said Ter-Petrosian told the Dashnaktsutyun leaders that “he is seriously intent no nominating his candidacy but has not yet made a final decision.”

Markarian also said Ter-Petrosian’s possible presidential run would not lose the Dashnaktsutyun candidate any votes, arguing that the two political camps appeal to voters with diametrically opposite views on key issues facing Armenia. “His supporters won’t vote for us and our supporters won’t vote for him,” he said. Arzumanian, meanwhile, insisted that Ter-Petrosian’s return to active politics is not a forgone conclusion. “He is continuing to examine the political field and will make a decision after ending his consultations and weighing up the political situation,” he said.

Source: http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeni...1B5E277128.ASP

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Whether it's Armenians supporting the Armenian Assembly in the United States or Armenians in Armenia supporting individuals like Levon Ter-Petrosian, the Armenian people have in general revealed that they do not comprehend international politics, they do not understand the region in which the Armenian Republic is located, nor can they be trusted to make right decisions concerning Armenia's future. As a result I am sad to say that the only way to maintain Armenia's current state of political stability and gradual economic growth is to maintain the current administration in power regardless of their domestic sins. The reality of the matter is Armenians have not had political independence for nearly a thousand years. Armenians of the diaspora fall under the influences of whichever region of the world they reside. A large number of Armenians in Armenia are impoverished and perhaps a majority are clueless about the complex and volatile world that they live in. Individuals that support men like Levon Ter Petrosian, Paruyr Hayrikian, Raffi Hovanesian or Arthur Baghdasarian are glaring examples of how immature Armenians are politically and how careless they can be towards the geopolitical future of the Armenian Republic. In my opinion, we will need several generations before we as a people can fine tune our political skills and better understanding the geopolitical world around us. Until then, I wish to see a totalitarian nationalist form of government in power in Yerevan, one that concerns itself with protecting Armenian borders from foreign incursions and develops better economic and political relations with the Russian Federation and the Islamic State of Iran.

Armenian

************************************************** ************

ELECTION CONDUCTED



“I shall run for presidency. This is not a mere announcement. All kinds of pressure exerted on my proponents and terror unleashed by the tax service will be deemed as a violation of citizens’ right. I assure you that they will be presented to the society and international structures,” RA first President Levon Ter-Petrossian said at the October 26 rally. According to the first president his nomination is determined by the pressure exerted on his proponents. “I warn Armenia’s high-ranking officials and policemen that any violence or encroachment upon citizens’ rights is a crime and sooner or later they will stand trial for their misdeeds.” “We have started listing wrongdoers. The list is headed by Alexander Afian, Ararat Mahtessian and Nerses Nazarian.” Levon Ter-Petrossian did not divulge two district heads and promised to give their names at the next meeting. “The acting authorities are in deep agony. Their nervous breakdowns testify to their fear,” Ter-Petrossian said. By the way, the first president uttered no words of repentance. “We shall still have a chance. I have always relied on people’s common sense. No matter how bitter the truth was, I have never concealed it from people. I have never repudiated promises or given empty promises. I have never suffered from populism or demagogy. I have always stuck to my principles. This kind of personality I am, believe me or not,” Ter-Petrossian said. “Struggle till the end!” the crowd vociferated and applauded. To note, over 35-40 thousand people participated at the rally.

FIRST MEETING?

The presentees of Azatutiun Square welcomed Hanrapetutiun Party member Aram Sargsian's speech with warm applauses. The latter was a little excited as he escorted RA first President Levon Ter-Petrossian. “This is the first meeting of the third president,” he said. Sargsian compared Ter-Petrossian with one of Dante’s characters “who lightens people’s way with a torch holding in the back.” “We have chosen Ter-Petrossian as the commander of the triumphant march, as he is the winner." “It is a tragedy for the whole nation,” Aram Sargsian said while recalling the October 27 events. After the terrorist act he wished the Armenian people to regain consciousness quicker. The only outcome of the current situation is the right choice of a president, Sargsian concluded.

Source: http://www.a1plus.am/en/

Armenia: Azerbaijani Politicians Mull Implications Of Ter-Petrossian Comeback

The possibility that Levon Ter-Petrossian, who served as Armenian president from the fall of 1991 until his forced resignation in February 1998, may announce his candidacy for the Armenian presidential ballot due in early 2008 has not only sent waves of shock and alarm through the incumbent Armenian leadership. It has also triggered speculation in Azerbaijan that the United States may back a presidential bid by Ter-Petrossian in the hope that he would adopt an unequivocally pro-Western position and help to undercut Russia's influence in the South Caucasus. Asked to comment on the possibility that Washington may seek to return Ter-Petrossian to power by means of a new "colored revolution" such as catapulted Viktor Yushchenko into the presidency of Ukraine, analyst Rauf Radjabov told day.az on October 24 that Washington would have to secure, first, the agreement of Ter-Petrossian -- who won a convincing and overwhelming victory in the 1991 presidential ballot -- to return to power by means of a revolution, and then to the complicity of Armenia's security services, which are currently under the firm control of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian. Incumbent President Robert Kocharian has already identified Sarkisian as his preferred successor, and few doubt that he will be elected. The Armenian Constitution bars Kocharian from seeking a third consecutive presidential term.

The 'Karabakh Clan'

Radjabov suggested that what he branded the "Karabakh clan" is determined to cling to power, and would only admit defeat if given cast-iron guarantees of immunity from prosecution and that its members would not be stripped of the fortunes they amassed while in office. Moreover, Radjabov noted, Russia would be unlikely to condone any move by Washington that would call into question the future of its military base in Armenia.

Radjabov did highlight one perceived dangerous consequence for Azerbaijan in the event that Washington does manage to engineer Ter-Petrossian's return to power, namely that the United States might exert pressure on Baku to accept a solution to the Karabakh conflict that is damaging to its interests. Asim Molla-zade, who heads the Party for Democratic Reforms, similarly stressed that it is unlikely that the "Karabakh clan" would voluntarily cede power. He went on to argue that it is to Azerbaijan's advantage that they should not do so, given the favorable comparison between the present Azerbaijani leadership and a clan that he described as accustomed to resorting to "terror, bestial murders, and the harsh suppression of dissent" to retain power.

(Eldaniz Quliyev of the Movement of Intelligentsia of Azerbaijan similarly reasoned on October 3 that Ter-Petrossian's chances of being elected president are "minimal," and that it would be to Azerbaijan's advantage if Sarkisian, whom Quliyev described as "leading Armenia toward the precipice at a Stakhanovite pace," were to succeed Kocharian. Quliyev also dismissed the argument that Ter-Petrossian might adopt a more conciliatory stance on resolving the Karabakh conflict than Sarkisian.)

At the same time, Molla-zade cautioned against speculation about a possible colored revolution, noting that Ter-Petrossian has still not formally announced his intention of running for president, and it remains unclear how much popular support he enjoys. Molla-zade also questioned the perception that Ter-Petrossian is pro-U.S., recalling the close military and economic ties with Russia cemented while Ter-Petrossian was president.

To date, the only Azerbaijani official to have commented on the possibility of a colored revolution in Armenia is Foreign Ministry spokesman Xazar Ibragim. In an October 24 interview with day.az, Ibragim noted that any discussion of such a revolution only serves to highlight the weakness of the Armenian state and its leaders' inability to implement an independent policy. That weakness, he continued, is the fault of the incumbent leadership, and can be overcome only by a shift in foreign policy, liberating the districts of Azerbaijan currently occupied by Armenian forces, and seeking peaceful coexistence with all the states of the region.

Ibragim further cautioned against focusing on specific political figures, including Ter-Petrossian, reasoning that "for Armenia, much depends not on who is elected president but on what position he adopts with regard to foreign policy." But he did not rule out the "hypothetical possibility" that a pro-U.S. politician could come to power in Armenia, resulting in "a certain degree of support" for Armenia in resolving the Karabakh conflict. Ibragim warned, however, that unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan is "immune" to any such pressure from world powers.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle...43E1AE46E.html

An interesting report dated 1998 by a western "watch" group regarding Levon Ter-Petrosian:

Militia Group That Forces Resignation Of Armenian President Has Record Of Human Rights Abuses

A conservative veterans' organization is posing a serious threat to the rule of law in Armenia, Human Rights Watch charged today. An organization of veterans of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, known as the Yerkrapah Battalion, played a role in the February 3 resignation of President Levon Ter-Petrossian. The Yerkrapah Battalion's growing faction in parliament had recently joined Armenian defense minister Vasken Sarkissiyan's calls for President Ter-Petrossian's resignation. On February 2, forty members of the national assembly reportedly quit the ruling coalition in order to join the Yerkrapah parliamentary faction.

In 1995, the Yerkrapah Battalion was linked to violent attacks on non-apostolic religious groups -- mostly Christian sects other than the Armenian Orthodox Church. Defense Minister Sarkissiyan was a leader of the Yerkrapah Battalion at that time. "Militia groups like the Yerkrapah Battalion are a threat to Armenia's nascent civil society," said Holly Cartner, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Division. "The Clinton Administration should lead the international community in sending a clear message to the Armenian Defense Ministry: human rights abuses by vigilante groups will not be tolerated." Cartner urged the Armenian government and its defense ministry to bring to justice those Yerkrapah members who are guilty of human rights abuses.

"Yerkrapah members should not be allowed into government security forces or other official positions without a thorough review of each applicant's record," Cartner said. "Those who participated in the 1995 attacks on religious groups should be excluded." Over the past three years the Armenian government failed to bring to justice any of the perpetrators of violent attacks on members of twelve non-apostolic religious groups in April 1995. The U.S. State Department Armenia Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996 noted that paramilitary troops wielding iron pipes and guns broke up religious groups' services, severely beat and kidnaped adherents and pastors, and ransacked offices. The report adds that several victims were rushed to the hospital, and that twenty adherents were held for several days or weeks at an Armenian military police facility. Credible accounts attribute the attacks to members of the Yerkrapah organization.

Source: http://hrw.org/english/docs/1998/02/03/armeni1066.htm

[Artsakh]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Ter-Petrosian Declares Presidential Bid In Yerevan Rally


By Emil Danielyan

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian completed his political comeback late Friday with an emphatic announcement of his participation in the forthcoming presidential elections made in front of more than 20,000 people attending his first rally in more than a decade.

In a 90-minute speech in Yerevan’s Liberty Square, he reiterated his fierce criticism of Armenia’s current leadership, again describing it as a “criminal regime which is corrupt from top down.” Ter-Petrosian also said that President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian now accept the kind of a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh which he advocated in 1997-1998 and which they rejected as “defeatist.”

“I intended to make my final decision on the eve of the start of the electoral process,” Ter-Petrosian told the crowd that repeatedly interrupted the speech with “Levon! Levon!” chants. “However, repressions which the authorities unleashed against my supporters recently as well as the huge energy of this rally make that decision urgent. Therefore, from now on I declare myself a candidate to the presidency of the Republic of Armenia.”

“From now on, any repression or any act of terror by tax bodies against my supporters will be deemed a criminal violation of the electoral rights of citizens and will be presented as such to both our public and international bodies,” he added to rapturous applause.

Ter-Petrosian spent four hours at a police station in Yerevan earlier this week negotiating the release of a dozen loyalists arrested on Tuesday while publicizing his rally. His supporters say the “illegal” police actions testify to growing government fear of his presidential bid. The strong attendance of the rally will reinforce their belief that he will be Sarkisian’s main challenger in the elections due in February or March and can defeat Kocharian’s preferred successor.

As was the case during his previous public speech made on September 21, Ter-Petrosian did not mince words to express his attitude towards the country’s current leaders, saying that their power is based on tight control of the security apparatus, the judicial system and electronic media as well as an “atmosphere of fear.” “For them the homeland is a conquered territory or business entity,” he charged.

Ter-Petrosian elaborated on this claim by accusing Kocharian, Sarkisian and their inner circle of personally controlling the most lucrative forms of economic activity through direct ownership of business or “state racketeering.” “The three main principles of the capitalist or market-based economy have been breached: creating equal opportunities, ensuring fair competition and protecting private property,” he said.

“Otherwise, in which other country can an ordinary bus driver get so rich in one or two years that he is able to make tens of millions of dollars in investments not in his native Artsakh (Karabakh) but in the United States of America? Or how can a 25-year-old young man become one of Armenia’s ten wealthiest businessmen just two or three years after graduating from university?” he asked, clearly referring to Sarkisian’s controversial brother Aleksandr and Kocharian’s son Sedrak.

“In the last five years, the criminal regime has stolen at least three to four billion dollars from the people,” he charged. “If that sum had been invested in Armenia we would have had a qualitatively different country. If it had been invested in Artsakh it would have already been independent.”

Ter-Petrosian went on to dismiss as fraudulent official statistics that show the Armenian economy expanding at a double-digit rate for the past six years. He said economic growth has been much slower and has largely resulted from remittances from hundreds of thousands of Armenians living abroad. He went on to slam Yerevan-based representatives of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for regularly praising the Kocharian administration’s economic track record. He claimed that they are well aware of the real state of affairs in the economic sphere but admit it only in their confidential reports sent to Washington.

The Ter-Petrosian rally came the day before the eighth anniversary of the October 1999 attack on the Armenian parliament which left then Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian, parliament speaker Karen Demirchian and six other officials dead. That was the reason why it also featured two other opposition speakers: Demirchian’s son Stepan and Sarkisian’s brother Aram. The latter reaffirmed his and his radical opposition Hanrapetutyun party’s strong support for Ter-Petrosian return to power.

The still mysterious killings were another major theme of Ter-Petrosian’s speech, with the 62-year-old ex-president comparing them to the April 1915 arrest and subsequent execution of hundreds of intellectuals in Istanbul which marked the start of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

Ter-Petrosian effectively implicated Kocharian in the 1999 attack, saying that the latter greatly benefited from it and obstructed the search for possible masterminds of the shootings. “Willy-nilly Kocharian directed all suspicions at himself, which means he must have had serious reasons to take such a risk,” he said, adding: “The October massacre was the main development that cleared the broad way to the formation and development of Kocharian’s regime.”

Similar allegations have also been made by relatives and friends of the assassinated leaders. Kocharian and his allies have always dismissed them. They have argued in particular that Nairi Hunanian, the leader of the five gunmen who burst into the Armenian parliament building eight years, insisted during his trial that he had masterminded the shock attack.

Ter-Petrosian noted, however, that in his initial pre-trial testimony Hunanian implicated Aleksan Harutiunian, the then chief of Kocharian’s staff who now runs Armenian state television, in the killings. Harutiunian’s subsequent release from jail was illegal, he claimed.

Predictably, Ter-Petrosian also stood by his view that Armenia’s sustainable development hinges on a compromise solution to the Karabakh conflict. “Until that problem is solved, until the blockades strangling us are lifted, until relations with our immediate neighbors are normalized and until our country is not integrated into regional and international systems, Armenia will not be able to develop and get stronger in accordance with the demands of the contemporary world,” he said.

Ter-Petrosian had been forced to resign in February 1998 by his key ministers led by then Prime Minister Kocharian for advocating an international peace that called for a gradual resolution of the Karabakh dispute and indefinitely delayed agreement on the disputed enclave’s status. Kocharian and his allies, by contrast, stood for a package peace deal that would solve all contentious issues at once and formalize Armenian control of Karabakh.

Nonetheless, the Armenian authorities did largely accept the international mediator’s existing peace proposals that also call for a step-by-step settlement. They argue that unlike the 1997 plan, the existing plan makes it clear that Karabakh’s status will be determined in a referendum of self-determination. It sets no time frame for the holding of such a vote, though.

Ter-Petrosian dismissed the proposed referendum as a “face-saving ambiguous provision.” “Thus, after having wasted so many years … the current authorities of Armenia have quietly and secretly agreed to a plan which they had diligently presented and defeatist and treacherous in the past,” he said.

Ter-Petrosian claimed at the same time that Kocharian has never been committed to changing the Karabakh status quo and, contrary to the mediators’ hopes, will not sign up to the proposed peace deal before completing his final term in office.

Kocharian supporters will counter that he has accepted on the whole all of the proposals made by the OSCE Minsk Group since 1998. They are also bound to point out that Ter-Petrosian did not mention in his speech the controversial episodes of his own rule that lasted from 1990-1998. The period was marked by a surge in government corruption and elections criticized as deeply flawed by Western observers.

Ter-Petrosian famously ordered troops to the streets of Yerevan in September 1996 to suppress opposition protests against his hotly disputed reelection. He insists that the vote was not rigged.

Ter-Petrosian hinted on Friday that he will admit mistakes in his further public pronouncements but insisted that he never lied to Armenians. “I have never hidden the truth from the people, no matter how bitter it is,” he said. “I have never given false promises and engaged in populism or demagoguery. And I am not going to betray those principles.

“Let that be seen as an unbeneficial political behavior. Let that affect my rating. I am who I am and who I will be.’

“I was like that in 1988 on this podium,” he continued, referring to his leadership of the popular movement for Armenia’s unification with Karabakh. “And you understood and trusted me and my comrades from the Karabakh Committee, the result of which has been an independent Armenia and a liberated Artsakh. I am absolutely certain that you will understand and trust this time as well.”

(Photolur photo)

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2007/10/0A57AC1E-B11B-4042-8FFB-C5F10857A969.ASP

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Armenia Seeks Major Curbs On Western Vote Monitoring



Armenia has joined Russia, Belarus and four Central Asian states in demanding serious restrictions on the often troublesome Western monitoring of their elections, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe confirmed on Friday. The OSCE’s election-monitoring arm, the Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said it is bewildered by Yerevan’s decision to back the move just months before Armenia’s crucial presidential election. Under proposals tabled by Russia to the OSCE’s Vienna-based governing council on September 18, the ODIHR-led election observer missions deployed in OSCE member states would comprise no more than 50 people. They would be barred from assessing the conduct of those elections before the announcement of their official results. More importantly, the Russian proposals, would enable the OSCE’s 56 member governments to influence the content of observer reports.

The Russian initiative, backed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, came in advance of Russia’s December 2 parliamentary elections and presidential vote scheduled for next March. Moscow has yet to formally invite the OSCE to monitor the polls. Although this is not the first time Armenia endorses Russian criticism of OSCE efforts at democracy building in the former Soviet Union, its latest move is somewhat unexpected given Western observers’ largely positive assessment of its May 2007 parliamentary elections. The vote was monitored by more than 200 OSCE representatives. The previous Armenian parliamentary and presidential elections were criticized by the OSCE as undemocratic.

“We observed elections in Armenia earlier this year and Armenia did not have any problems with the number of our observers and their findings,” ODIHR spokeswoman Urdur Gunnarsdottir told RFE/RL. “So we don’t see any good reason why Armenia would support such a proposal now.” Gunnarsdottir said the head of the ODIHR, Christian Strohal, raised the issue with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and other Armenian official during a visit to Yerevan earlier this week. Official Armenian sources made no mention of this, saying only that Strohal discussed preparations for the upcoming presidential elections.

Echoing arguments made by Russian officials, a spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry said Yerevan supports the proposed restrictions on OSCE vote monitoring “in the light of ongoing reforms of the OSCE.” “Armenia is actively involved in the process of reforms and believes it is important that the organization become more representative, transparent and equal for everyone,” Vladimir Karapetian told RFE/RL. The United States criticized the Russian proposals on Thursday. "The U.S. would not want to see ODIHR's effectiveness weakened under the guise of 'reform,"' said Kyle Scott, deputy chief of the U.S. mission to the OSCE. "The Russian proposals do nothing to strengthen its work.”

“From the point of view of an election observer, it is not a good proposal and flies in the face of what we have been doing for the last ten years,” agreed Gunnarsdottir. “I don’t really see why there is a need to limit the number of observers and their ability to speak about their findings.”

Source: http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeni...6A5B49F27E.ASP

[Yedtarts]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Levon Ter-Petrosyan public appearance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ucgQr23BI

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Levon Ter-Petrosyan public appearance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ucgQr23BI

They could have made the report much more severe. A very good report, nonetheless, Yedtarts. Do you know which television station this report was produced by?

The featured criminal traitor in question is obviously working for western interests, why else would he and his yenta wife come out of their safe rat hole and put their life at risk? Nevertheless, I am disheartened by the fact that there still are mentally retarded low-lives amongst us that would still support this pathetic agent.

However, I have a feeling that Serge Sarkisian and company are quite happy about his sudden appearance. What better person than "LTP" to make even the most corrupt Armenian official today look like a boyscout?

[Lucin]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Yesterday, I was watching the highlights of this rally and an excellent documentary, on 360, about Ter-Petrossian's and CO.'s criminal activities on a political, economic and judicial level. It was pretty informative; at least for me, considering that I did not have much information about Armenia in early and mid 90s, under his rule.

I don't know if the part about Artsakh exists in Youtube, since the link doesn't work for me but to quote an excerpt of his nonesense about Artsakh, this is what he said more-or-less:

[...]
artyok menk aysor yev galik 30-40 tarva @ntatskum resourcner unek te gharabagh@ pahpanelu yev te nerka hayastani djvarutyner@, shrjapakman yev tntesakan djvarutyunerin haghtaharelu??? [...]

And it was shocking for me to see people whistle and applaud him so enthusiastically...
Is there really a difference between LTP's rhetoric and that of Aliyev?

[Armenian]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

Yesterday, I was watching the highlights of this rally and an excellent documentary, on 360, about Ter-Petrossian's and CO.'s criminal activities on a political, economic and judicial level. It was pretty informative; at least for me, considering that I did not have much information about Armenia in early and mid 90s, under his rule. I don't know if the part about Artsakh exists in Youtube, since the link doesn't work for me but to quote an excerpt of his nonesense about Artsakh, this is what he said more-or-less: [...] artyok menk aysor yev galik 30-40 tarva @ntatskum resourcner unek te gharabagh@ pahpanelu yev te nerka hayastani djvarutyner@, shrjapakman yev tntesakan djvarutyunerin haghtaharelu??? [...] And it was shocking for me to see people whistle and applaud him so enthusiastically... Is there really a difference between LTP's rhetoric and that of Aliyev?

Lucin jan, the Artsakh war was won in spite of him. According to various sources, not the least of which are top level Artsakh war veterans, Levon's biggest shock was when Armenian forces took Shushi in 1992. Apparently, none of the commanders in the field in Artsakh bothered to even inform Levon's administration that they are planning on taking the Lachin corridor and Shushi. And it is absolutely disgusting for anyone to claim that Artskah was won during Levon's time, insinuating that Levon had something to do with it. It was obvious that Levon wanted to settle the Artsakh problem in ways that were detrimental to Armenian interests. And later it became obvious tat Levon wanted to more-or-less sell the country to western interests by distancing Yerevan from Moscow. Just imagine the repercussions if such plans was effectively implemented.

[Artsakh]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

“This rally and its strong attendance showed one thing,” writes “Zhamanak Yerevan.” “Ter-Petrosian and forces supporting him, notably HZhK leader Stepan Demirchian and Hanrapetutyun leader Aram Sarkisian, can become the focal point of the opposition because no other opposition party can rally that many people in Liberty Square.”

“Haykakan Zhamanak” is impressed not only with the size but also “the high quality” of the crowd that listened to Ter-Petrosian. “Contrary to forecasts, there were almost no idle people who went there to kill time,” says the pro-Ter-Petrosian paper. “In the square were citizens who wanted to listen and understand and, what is more, to take a critical approach towards Levon Ter-Petrosian’s statements. And it must be admitted that Armenia’s first president did deliver a convincing speech which met the demands of even his most serious critics. Levon Ter-Petrosian’s speech lasted for about one and a half hours, and not only did none of the 60,000 people present at the rally budge but an incredible silence reigned in the square throughout the speech.”

“In any case, it is evident that a new popular movement led by Levon Ter-Petrosian is getting underway in Armenia,” concludes “Haykakan Zhamanak.”

“There is no doubt that the counter-propaganda that has been voiced against Ter-Petrosian and his supporters for ten years will become a hundred times more ferocious and open,” editorializes “Aravot.” “In particular, [all of Armenia’s] 17 ‘responsible’ TV companies, perhaps except [the Dashnaktsutyun-controlled] Yerkir Media, finally forgetting about the basics of journalism, will not cite a single quote from the former president and will broadcast instead plenty of disparaging comments [about Ter-Petrosian.]”

[Artsakh]

Re: Presidential elections 2008 in Armenia

As if the high level of corruption isn't bad enough, perhaps the greatest crime that has been committed by the currect regime, and in particular the Serge Sarkissian, has been the removal of wealth and tens of millions of dollars from Armenia to foreign countries.

Diaspora Armenians are quick to clap their hands and shout in joy when the Armenia fund collects a petty 5 - 6 millions every year during the annual telethon, and during the same time period, the notorious unibrowed brother of Serjik sarkissian, a former busdriver turned businessman, takes out 12 million from Armenia and buys property in California.

Just watch, if serzh looses this election, he will flee along with his whole family to california. If he wins, he will loot the country some more, and then flee to california once his out of office.

If it comes down to Der Pedrosyan or Serge Sarkissian, I call upon you all who have families in Armenia to advice them to vote for Der Pedrosyan. Tough it seems as if they're already taking the necessary steps to ensure that the upcoming election is falsified, because they know they will not win in a clean election.