Opposition Refuses to Admit Defeat in Armenia, Protests Continue

During Armenia's presidential campaign, incumbent Robert Kocharian cast himself as the best custodian of the country's stability. Now, in the aftermath of the country's contentious presidential vote, Kocharian finds himself a lightning rod for widespread discontent. Opposition leaders and their supporters insist the elections were rigged and are refusing to recognize the results, setting the stage for a destabilizing political stand-off.

Stepan Demirchian, who, according to the Central Election Commission's (CEC) official results, received only 32.5 percent of the vote in the March 5 run-off against Kocharian, has vowed to file a lawsuit seeking to have the vote declared invalid. Opposition leaders, backed by Western election observers, say the elections were marred by systematic fraud. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"These were the most shameful elections in the history of independent Armenia," the Mediamax news agency quoted Demirchian as saying March 7. "We do not accept the results of both rounds of elections and will strive for the restoration of justice in the Constitutional Court."

Meanwhile, protests continued in Armenia's capital city of Yerevan. Demirchian supporters set up a tent camp March 9 in front of CEC headquarters, and vowed to remain until election officials nullify the initial voting figures. Chanting "Go away Kocharian" and "President Demirchian," the protesters faced riot police and lines of barbed wire protecting the entrance to the CEC's office.

Demonstrators have taken to the streets daily since the CEC declared Kocharian the run-off winner. Rallies have been tense at times, but Demirchian supporters have so far avoided clashing with security forces. In discussions with some of the protesters, however, it is clear that their anger over the conduct of the election will not dissipate quickly. "Kocharian has ruined our country," said Seda Phanilov, an elderly Yerevan resident. "For an Armenian to do these things to his own people is not right."

The demonstrations have attracted tens of thousands of Demirchian backers. While bolstered by the election's criticism by the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), they have been outraged by statements made by the CIS observer mission, which asserted the presidential vote was free and fair. In addition, many rank-and-file opposition members are miffed that Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Kocharian on March 7 on a "convincing and impressive victory."

At an opposition rally March 8, participants marched to the US Embassy, where they expressed appreciation for a State Department statement that described Demirchian's vote-rigging complaints as "legitimate." Later, they approached the Russian Embassy, where they shouted "shame" and read a statement condemning Putin's congratulatory message to Kocharian.

"Your untimely congratulations give us reason to believe that the leadership of the Russian Federation is making every effort to bolster Robert Kocharian's illegitimate regime, (which) poses a danger to the centuries-old Russian-Armenian friendship," the statement said.

The March 8 rally also coincided with International Women's Day. One of the leaders of the large contingent of women participants in the March 8 rally was Anahit Bakhshian, a secondary school principal and widow of parliament deputy speaker Yuri Bakhshian, who was killed in the bloody 1999 parliament shootings. Bakhshian lamented the disputed elections, saying they were "setting a bad example for the children of our country."

A middle-aged Armenian history teacher from Yerevan who moved from Syria twenty years ago placed the electoral divide within a larger geopolitical framework, saying "We are a part of the Council of Europe now as a free and democratic people, so the authorities must hear our voices and allow us to choose our own president." The teacher, who requested anonymity, claimed that authorities' "threats and intimidation" had discouraged significant numbers of Demirchian sympathizers from attending the protest rallies over the weekend. She added that, on election day, she became outraged when she went to her local polling station and noticed a voter signature next to her son's name, even though he is living outside of the country.

OSCE representatives continue to have harsh words for the CEC's handling of the vote. The head of the OSCE monitoring mission, Peter Eicher, expressed dissatisfaction over a delay in the release of precinct-level vote tallies. The CEC's chief counsel, Nune Hovannisian, said election officials are not required by law to release such figures, but indicated precinct results would be made public March 11.

"I hoped that they would do that immediately after the polling day," Eicher was quoted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as saying. "You saw that they did announce the total results. So clearly, the statistics must exist. I just don't understand why they are not releasing them to the public for all these days."

Kocharian and his supporters have largely refrained from responding publicly to opposition protests and verbal volleys. The most notable comments from Kocharian's camp so far came from Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, the incumbent's campaign manager, who on March 7 downplayed Council of Europe and OSCE criticism of the election. Local observers believe that the CEC, which is packed with Kocharian supporters, is highly unlikely to reverse the voting results.

Demirchian supporters seem equally unwilling to give up their quest. "We will struggle until we reach our goal," said one young man at the March 8 protest rally. "If Robert Kocharian's soldiers want to spend all day and night with us, they are welcome to join us in our struggle."