By Armenian tradition the souls of the deceased are remembered on the 40th day after their death. For those killed in the protests, that will be on April 9 - the day that Mr Sargsian is inaugurated as President.
The Times
P.S. I recommend reading The Times article in full - at last, proper reporting of the situation in Armenia by one of the most respected British newspapers. Follow the link above or comments section below.
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March 25, 2008
Serzh Sargsian, President-elect of Armenia, stands firm after poll-clash deaths
Tony Halpin in Yerevan
The Times
As Armenia celebrated Easter, the President-elect of the world's first Christian nation was fighting to resurrect his political future in the face of a revolt that has claimed eight lives and exposed bitter social divisions.
Serzh Sargsian's victory in an election marred by allegations of widespread fraud sparked opposition protests that erupted into violent clashes with police and troops. Fresh protests marked the end of a 20-day state of emergency on Friday, despite new legislation that effectively outlaws anti-government demonstrations in this former Soviet republic.
In an interview with The Times, Mr Sargsian insisted that he was elected legitimately and accused Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate, of plotting to seize power through street protests. As he spoke, riot police, many carrying guns and electric-shock devices, lined the streets while several thousand people marched silently in the capital, Yerevan, to the square where eight people died and hundreds were injured in the clashes on March 1.
“Nothing extraordinary is happening. There are some tensions in society but I think the 20-day emergency situation helped a lot,” he said. “This demonstration was not sanctioned but people are keeping to the pavements and not disturbing anyone, so there is tolerance of it.”
There is widespread anger at the loss of life and the emergency imposed by the outgoing President, Robert Kocharian, after police broke up 11 days of peaceful protests against Mr Sargsian, his ally, who is Prime Minister. Mr Sargsian said that police intervened after learning that opposition activists were gathering weapons to overturn the election by force. He said: “The main organisers declared publicly that March 1 was the day of their civil war.”
That claim is ridiculed by supporters of Mr Ter-Petrosian, who accused the Government of planting weapons to justify a crackdown. He is effectively under house arrest and more than 100 activists are in prison or in hiding as part of sweeping measures criticised strongly by the US and the European Union.
Mr Sargsian, 53, pledged to undertake extensive reforms as President to defuse the Armenian crisis by “hard work and raising public confidence”, but he added: “I don't think I am the one to blame for these divisions.”
His 52.8 per cent vote in last month's election was just enough to avoid a run-off against Mr Ter-Petrosian, independent Armenia's first President, who won 21.5 per cent. International observers described the ballot initially as “mostly in line” with Armenia's democratic commitments, but a later report was far more critical of electoral abuses.
The upheavals in Yerevan have been accompanied by a sharp rise in tension between Armenia and its neighbour Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
International mediators were optimistic about a peace agreement before the election, but there are fears now that a 1994 ceasefire may break down. Nagorno-Karabakh, run by Armenian separatists who have declared independence from Azerbaijan, is close to an important pipeline carrying Caspian oil to world markets.
Arman Musinian, Mr Ter-Petrosian's spokesman, said that protesters would continue to demand fresh elections. He told The Times: “The regime is hated by a majority in society now, even people who did not vote for us, so it is going to be extremely difficult for them to govern.”
By Armenian tradition the souls of the deceased are remembered on the 40th day after their death. For those killed in the protests, that will be on April 9 - the day that Mr Sargsian is inaugurated as President.
BTW: It's interesting to note that Ter-Petrossian is refusing interviews at present. The BBC tried on Friday and Saturday but to no avail although were still told by Musinian that "Ter-Petrossian never turns down interviews" which was clearly not the case.
Still, on the other hand, they were also told that Sargsyan was "too busy." Anyway, it's interesting to note that Levon is playing it low-profile at present. One head of a USAID democracy project says he suspects LTP wants to strike a deal to save his neck and is toning down everything because of that.
Does it sound possible? To be honest, I'm not sure, but let's see. Stranger things have happened.
I am not sure if it is the case, but everything is possible, I suppose. I know what I want to see - a dialogue, be that under the curtains, or open one (preferable, of course!), but a DIALOGUE, so that there could be a chance for a way out of this situation.
Btw, independent MP Viktor Dallakyan presented his proposal today, which I think is sound one, combining elements of EU/PACE and Armenian cultural representatives’ proposals. I posted it today here .
Yeah, I saw it, and with minor reservations which aren't nearly enough to discard it, I think it's sound too and a possible way out although the mechanisms for oversight need to be in place which is why I think 1 year might be too soon, but anyway.
Regardless of that, even in this form (and despite those reservations) I would accept it quite happily as long as the international community and all sides in Armenia took it seriously. Of course, one addition would be the need to prosecute anyone guilty of electoral violations in February.
As the video evidence exists this shouldn't be too hard and is VITAL to prevent it from happening again. Not a few scapegoats, but ALL of them.
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