YEREVAN
Four thousand opposition supporters rallied in the Armenian capital
Yerevan Friday to protest at the re-election of President Robert
Kocharian earlier this month in a poll many of them believe was
rigged.
“Demirchian president, Kocharian out!” they chanted, referring to the
defeated second-round candidate Stepan Demirchian who has appealed to
the country’s constitutional court to overturn the result. Members of
the opposition Justice movement have staged protests every Friday to
seek the annulment of the March 5 run-off poll in which Kocharian was
credited with 67.5 percent of the vote compared with 32.5 percent to
his rival Demirchian.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has
said the vote “fell short of international standards for democratic
elections,” and noted “widespread incidences of ballot box stuffing
around the country.”
Kocharian has himself admitted that the poll that saw him re-elected
did not meet international norms.
The capital Yerevan has also been rocked by protests since the poll,
and the opposition has threatened to boycott upcoming legislative
elections on May 25.
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