22 February 2008, 16:17
Supporters of Ter-Petrosyan: elections in Armenia were falsified
In Armenia, supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan keep asserting that the presidential elections held on February 19 were falsified, and they will struggle for the right of their choice.
Aikaz Zeinalyan from the Kanaker District, who voted on February 19 at the polling station No. 04/03, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent: "I'm sure the election was forged. For about half an hour I stood in the line and saw people voting several times, and nobody put stamps into their passports."
"On the voting day, on February 19, when I finally could reach the voters' list with the aim to perform my civil duty, I observed the following: a mark and signature that the person has voted were put against the item in the list No. 447. The item contained the passport number, name, surname and signature of my neighbour Susanna Parkilovna Nazaryan, who is living with her family for 10 years in Poland. She didn't come, and this voting was physically completely impossible," the eyewitness said.
Zorak Oganesyan, who presented himself to be the head of the department of the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development of Armenia, has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about the following: "I'm an election agent of Levon Ter-Petrosyan and I saw that on the voting day in the shop opposite our polling station No. 11/13 they were giving out money - by 5000 drams for a vote in favour of Serzh Sarkisyan. Mainly old people took the money."
Besides, he said that he had recorded violations and handed them over to international observers. "In particular, I took away a list from the member of electoral commission Goar Petrosyan with the names of 20 persons who were absent in the country. <...> When the vote tabulation had started at 10:00 p.m., when I didn't open the ballot box yet, my wife called me up and said that Serzh Sarkisyan had already won the election. How could it be, when at our polling station and at many others (by that time I called up my colleagues) the ballot boxes had not been opened yet?"
Author: Bella Ksalova, CK correspondent