(Saturday, December 15)
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” rejects opposition leader Artashes Geghamian’s allegations that former President Levon Ter-Petrosian and his supporters plan to provoke violence in 400 to 500 polling stations on election day. The allegations are construed by the pro-Ter-Petrosian paper as an indication that the Armenian authorities will stir up trouble in those precincts and blame it on the former president. “To put it simply, the authorities are sending the following message to the opposition: Yes, we will falsify the election results. We will falsify them en masse. And if you resist, we will charge you with provoking civil clashes. There might be casualties. But we will blame you for that.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reveals what it describes as details of Ter-Petrosian’s September meeting with Geghamian. The paper says Geghamian began the meeting by presenting the “deplorable” situation in the country and heaping praise on Ter-Petrosian. “Geghamian then said that he has no ambitions. He said that only Ter-Petrosian can get the country out of this situation. He said that even if he, Geghamian, wins the presidency, he will have no idea of how to get the country out of this situation.”
Suren Zolian, a state university rector and political commentator, tells “Hayots Ashkhar” that Ter-Petrosian was “not sincere” when he said that he would serve as president for only three years if his candidacy is backed by other opposition heavyweights. Zolian says that if Ter-Petrosian was really interested in putting the country on the path to democracy he would join another opposition presidential candidate and, in the event of the latter’s victory, “work as prosecutor-general in his administration.”
“Ter-Petrosian is an opposition candidate,” editorializes “Aravot.” “Seven other nominated candidates also claim to be in opposition. It would be logical to suggest that they should be the first president’s partners at least on some issues. But it appears now that those seven candidates are in opposition not to the current authorities but Levon. And not to today’s presidential candidate Ter-Petrosian but the former head of state … But it is obvious that if the candidates do not concentrate on criticism of today’s vices, if they don’t suggest ways of overcoming them, then [it will mean that] they are participating in the election campaign not to win the presidency but for other purposes.”
“In the global sense, our society is a society of guilty and dishonest people,” claims “168 Zham.” “A considerable part of our society was engaged in vote falsifications and accepted vote bribes.”
(Armen Dulian)
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” rejects opposition leader Artashes Geghamian’s allegations that former President Levon Ter-Petrosian and his supporters plan to provoke violence in 400 to 500 polling stations on election day. The allegations are construed by the pro-Ter-Petrosian paper as an indication that the Armenian authorities will stir up trouble in those precincts and blame it on the former president. “To put it simply, the authorities are sending the following message to the opposition: Yes, we will falsify the election results. We will falsify them en masse. And if you resist, we will charge you with provoking civil clashes. There might be casualties. But we will blame you for that.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reveals what it describes as details of Ter-Petrosian’s September meeting with Geghamian. The paper says Geghamian began the meeting by presenting the “deplorable” situation in the country and heaping praise on Ter-Petrosian. “Geghamian then said that he has no ambitions. He said that only Ter-Petrosian can get the country out of this situation. He said that even if he, Geghamian, wins the presidency, he will have no idea of how to get the country out of this situation.”
Suren Zolian, a state university rector and political commentator, tells “Hayots Ashkhar” that Ter-Petrosian was “not sincere” when he said that he would serve as president for only three years if his candidacy is backed by other opposition heavyweights. Zolian says that if Ter-Petrosian was really interested in putting the country on the path to democracy he would join another opposition presidential candidate and, in the event of the latter’s victory, “work as prosecutor-general in his administration.”
“Ter-Petrosian is an opposition candidate,” editorializes “Aravot.” “Seven other nominated candidates also claim to be in opposition. It would be logical to suggest that they should be the first president’s partners at least on some issues. But it appears now that those seven candidates are in opposition not to the current authorities but Levon. And not to today’s presidential candidate Ter-Petrosian but the former head of state … But it is obvious that if the candidates do not concentrate on criticism of today’s vices, if they don’t suggest ways of overcoming them, then [it will mean that] they are participating in the election campaign not to win the presidency but for other purposes.”
“In the global sense, our society is a society of guilty and dishonest people,” claims “168 Zham.” “A considerable part of our society was engaged in vote falsifications and accepted vote bribes.”
(Armen Dulian)