MARCH 10 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian began a hunger strike to protest against what he claims was a rigged Feb. 18 presidential election. Mr Hovannisian, a former foreign minister, came second in the election with 37% of the vote. Incumbent president Serzh Sarksyan won the election with 59%.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 127, published on March 15 2013)
MARCH 4 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s main opposition leaders lodged a complaint that the Feb. 18 presidential election won by the incumbent Serzh Sarksyan was rigged. Since the result hundreds of people, lead by Raffi Hovannisian who came second in the election with 37% of the vote, have demonstrated in central Yerevan.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 126, published on March 8 2013)
FEB. 18 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – As expected, Armenians re-elected Serzh Sarksyan for a second term as president. Mr Sarksyan won 58% of the vote. His nearest rival, Raffi Hovhannisyan, polled around 37% of the vote. Opponents of Mr Sarksyan accused his supporters of rigging the vote and organised a series of street demonstrations.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 18 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – As expected, Armenians re-elected Serzh Sarksyan for a second term as president. Mr Sarksyan won 58% of the vote. His nearest rival, Raffi Hovhannisyan, polled around 37% of the vote. Opponents of Mr Sarksyan accused his supporters of rigging the vote and organised a series of street demonstrations.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 125, published on Feb. 22 2013)
FEB. 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian president Serzh Sarksyan is expected to win another five years in power at a presidential election on Feb. 18, media reported. A poll by Gallup, published on Feb. 9, gave Mr Sarksyan 69% of the vote compared to his nearest challenger, Raffi Hovhannisyan, with 11% of the vote.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian president Serzh Sarksyan is expected to win another five years in power at a presidential election on Feb. 18, media reported. A poll by Gallup, published on Feb. 9, gave Mr Sarksyan 69% of the vote compared to his nearest challenger, Raffi Hovhannisyan, with 11% of the vote.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 124, published on Feb. 15 2013)
FEB. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Officials in Armenia confirmed that there will be no delay to a presidential election scheduled for Feb. 18 despite the attempted assassination of Paruyr Hayrikyan, a candidate. Under the election rules, Mr Hayrikyan could have asked for a two week postponement to the voting.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
FEB. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – Officials in Armenia confirmed that there will be no delay to a presidential election scheduled for Feb. 18 despite the attempted assassination of Paruyr Hayrikyan, a candidate. Under the election rules, Mr Hayrikyan could have asked for a two week postponement to the voting.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 123, published on Feb. 8 2013)
JAN. 31 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A gunman shot and injured Paruyr Hayrikyan, a pro-Western outsider in Armenia’s Feb. 18 presidential, close to his home in Yerevan — potentially destabilising the country.
Mr Hayrikyan was relatively lucky. The bullet lodged itself in his shoulder, missing vital organs and arteries. Doctors have said that Mr Hayrikyan’s injuries are not life-threatening and Serzh Sarksyan, the Armenian president, has been photographed chatting to him by his hospital bedside.
The attempted murder, though, does indicate that somebody may want to destabilise the election and possibly Armenia itself.
Stability in Armenia is relatively fragile and elections act as flash-points. Rivalries bubble up, tension simmers over. In 2008, when Mr Sarksyan won power, protesters clashed with police in a central Yerevan square. Ten people died in the fighting.
Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination of Mr Hayrikyan, although conspiracy theories are flying around. Analysts have also said that if Mr Hayrikyan withdrew from the election it could delay the vote by a fortnight.
All this could potentially destabilise Armenia, and the wider South Caucasus region.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 122, published on Feb. 1 2013)
JAN. 31 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) – A gunman shot and injured Paruyr Hayrikyan, a pro-Western outsider in Armenia’s Feb. 18 presidential, close to his home in Yerevan — potentially destabilising the country.
Mr Hayrikyan was relatively lucky. The bullet lodged itself in his shoulder, missing vital organs and arteries. Doctors have said that Mr Hayrikyan’s injuries are not life-threatening and Serzh Sarksyan, the Armenian president, has been photographed chatting to him by his hospital bedside.
The attempted murder, though, does indicate that somebody may want to destabilise the election and possibly Armenia itself.
Stability in Armenia is relatively fragile and elections act as flash-points. Rivalries bubble up, tension simmers over. In 2008, when Mr Sarksyan won power, protesters clashed with police in a central Yerevan square. Ten people died in the fighting.
Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination of Mr Hayrikyan, although conspiracy theories are flying around. Analysts have also said that if Mr Hayrikyan withdrew from the election it could delay the vote by a fortnight.
All this could potentially destabilise Armenia, and the wider South Caucasus region.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 122, published on Feb. 1 2013)