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DECISION 2013: HOVANNISIAN TOURS SOUTHERN PARTS OF COUNTRY WITH VOWS TO CONTINUE POST-ELECTION FIGHT
http://armenianow.com/vote_2013/44000/raffi_hovannisian_syunik_region_protest
VOTE 2013 | 28.02.13 | 13:54
Photo: www.heritage.am
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The official runner-up in the presidential elections Raffi Hovannisian
took the "revolution of smile and greetings" to the southern pole of
Armenia - key strategic region of Syunik - as part of his visits to
the provinces.
Launching his meetings from the country's southern gate Agarak early
morning Wednesday, Hovannisian offered not only simple greetings but
also warm hugs to Agarak residents, saying: "Good morning victory,
Agarak and Syunik. I bow my head to you, because there was so much
fraud, so much deceit. Shame on the governor, shame on him... I am
not saying anything about the mayor yet, but if he and the village
council participated in this fraud, violated the law, they will be
brought to account."
He pointed to presidential candidate Serzh Sagsyan's campaign
posters hanging in Agarak's policlinics and said: "In a state medical
institution where Armenian people are treated, whose picture do you see
first thing when entering the first, second and third floors? And after
that they claim the election was legal; they take people for fools."
An Agarak resident took the loudspeaker and declared that since 1996
all elections have been rigged and none of the presidents has been
actually elected by people.
Next stop was Meghri. As opposed to the other provinces in Syunik
Hovannisian met also mayors.
During his meeting with Meghri mayor Arshavir Hovhannisyan, the
Heritage leader said they had encountered a problem the night before
in Agarak, because the hotel there refused to give them rooms, which,
he believes, was an order from the top. The mayor said they should
have called him, to which Hovannisian responded: "Why should I have
called you? Are you the hotel manager?"
He urged Meghri mayor to remove the ruling Republican party (RPA)
office from the city hall, because it is a violation of the law.
Next was Kajaran. At the time of his visit Maxim Hakobyan, director
of Kajaran's copper molybdenum plant, called a meeting of employees,
which was seen as a means of keeping them from Hovannisian's rally.
Hovannisian had an open meeting with Kajaran mayor Vardan Gevorgyan
in reporters' presence. During this meeting, which was broadcast live,
Hovannisian said that the election results in Kajaran were forged: the
official data says 45 percent turnout, but the streets were empty. To
which the mayor said that 80 percent of the population have jobs so
were at work at the moment.
Speaking about the Syunik governor Hovannisian said: "In Mr.
Khachatryan's province, which is not his private property, neither is
it mine, nor yours, people have made a different decision, the voting
results were completely different. I will be demanding governor Suren
Khachatryan's resignation, as there is no rule of law in this province
because of him. And it is not my opinion, but that of the majority
of Syunik people."
In Kapan, Hovannisian faced a question on whether he is "pro-Russian
or pro-Western", Hovannisian said: "All of them - Russia and the
USA and France - have mocked us when they recognized the elections
of Armenia. True, our relations with all those countries will be on
the highest level, but Armenia's interests will always come first. We
respect all of them, and they all have to respect us."
In Goris not a single resident came to meet Hovannisian, although he
received 30 percent of the vote there. The Heritage leader said that
Goris leaves in fear, the same Goris that "felt the volley on its
chest" [reference to the Karabakh war]. Not making a stop in Goris,
Hovannisian moved to Sisian, where he said that the victory of the
Armenian people took its start from Sisian - during the parliamentary
elections.
On his last stop, in Sisian, Hovannisian told the press that during
his meetings in the provinces both before and after the elections
he felt the same spirit in the people, but as opposed to others he
believed in them.
"I believed that the people can stand up for their rights, and it has
become the meaning of my life, I am responsible to my people and will
not let down anybody. This is not Raffi's victory, Raffi was simply
one of the messengers," he said.
From: Baghdasarian
http://armenianow.com/vote_2013/44000/raffi_hovannisian_syunik_region_protest
VOTE 2013 | 28.02.13 | 13:54
Photo: www.heritage.am
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The official runner-up in the presidential elections Raffi Hovannisian
took the "revolution of smile and greetings" to the southern pole of
Armenia - key strategic region of Syunik - as part of his visits to
the provinces.
Launching his meetings from the country's southern gate Agarak early
morning Wednesday, Hovannisian offered not only simple greetings but
also warm hugs to Agarak residents, saying: "Good morning victory,
Agarak and Syunik. I bow my head to you, because there was so much
fraud, so much deceit. Shame on the governor, shame on him... I am
not saying anything about the mayor yet, but if he and the village
council participated in this fraud, violated the law, they will be
brought to account."
He pointed to presidential candidate Serzh Sagsyan's campaign
posters hanging in Agarak's policlinics and said: "In a state medical
institution where Armenian people are treated, whose picture do you see
first thing when entering the first, second and third floors? And after
that they claim the election was legal; they take people for fools."
An Agarak resident took the loudspeaker and declared that since 1996
all elections have been rigged and none of the presidents has been
actually elected by people.
Next stop was Meghri. As opposed to the other provinces in Syunik
Hovannisian met also mayors.
During his meeting with Meghri mayor Arshavir Hovhannisyan, the
Heritage leader said they had encountered a problem the night before
in Agarak, because the hotel there refused to give them rooms, which,
he believes, was an order from the top. The mayor said they should
have called him, to which Hovannisian responded: "Why should I have
called you? Are you the hotel manager?"
He urged Meghri mayor to remove the ruling Republican party (RPA)
office from the city hall, because it is a violation of the law.
Next was Kajaran. At the time of his visit Maxim Hakobyan, director
of Kajaran's copper molybdenum plant, called a meeting of employees,
which was seen as a means of keeping them from Hovannisian's rally.
Hovannisian had an open meeting with Kajaran mayor Vardan Gevorgyan
in reporters' presence. During this meeting, which was broadcast live,
Hovannisian said that the election results in Kajaran were forged: the
official data says 45 percent turnout, but the streets were empty. To
which the mayor said that 80 percent of the population have jobs so
were at work at the moment.
Speaking about the Syunik governor Hovannisian said: "In Mr.
Khachatryan's province, which is not his private property, neither is
it mine, nor yours, people have made a different decision, the voting
results were completely different. I will be demanding governor Suren
Khachatryan's resignation, as there is no rule of law in this province
because of him. And it is not my opinion, but that of the majority
of Syunik people."
In Kapan, Hovannisian faced a question on whether he is "pro-Russian
or pro-Western", Hovannisian said: "All of them - Russia and the
USA and France - have mocked us when they recognized the elections
of Armenia. True, our relations with all those countries will be on
the highest level, but Armenia's interests will always come first. We
respect all of them, and they all have to respect us."
In Goris not a single resident came to meet Hovannisian, although he
received 30 percent of the vote there. The Heritage leader said that
Goris leaves in fear, the same Goris that "felt the volley on its
chest" [reference to the Karabakh war]. Not making a stop in Goris,
Hovannisian moved to Sisian, where he said that the victory of the
Armenian people took its start from Sisian - during the parliamentary
elections.
On his last stop, in Sisian, Hovannisian told the press that during
his meetings in the provinces both before and after the elections
he felt the same spirit in the people, but as opposed to others he
believed in them.
"I believed that the people can stand up for their rights, and it has
become the meaning of my life, I am responsible to my people and will
not let down anybody. This is not Raffi's victory, Raffi was simply
one of the messengers," he said.
From: Baghdasarian