Stories about Armenia from February, 2008
Armenia: Political Turncoat
Unzipped is dismayed by the acceptance of a position from Orinats Yerkir party leader and presidential candidate, Artur Baghdasarian, from the prime minister and president-elect, Serge Sargsyan. The move, ostensibly made in order to defuse tension in the country, gives credence to claims from the opposition that Baghdasarian was working...
Armenia: Politically Motivated Arrests
Unzipped provides its readers with a list of what it considers politically motivated arrests of people associated with former president, Levon Ter-Petrossian, following last week's disputed presidential election in Armenia.
Armenia: LGBT Blog
Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts details of a new blog established by the Armenian Gay & Lesbian Association of New York. The blog, AGLA NY, is at http://aglany.wordpress.com.
Armenia: Political Prisoners
Unzipped comments on local news reports examining the unsavory past of some former officials detained by police after switching to the opposition since last week's election. Regardless, the blog says, as they have been arrested now only because of their new allegiances, they can therefore be considered political prisoners.
Armenia: Absurd Revolution
Notes from Hairenik weighs in on continuing discussion of the daily protests staged by former president Levon Ter-Petrossian in Yerevan’s Liberty Square. While agreeing that electoral violations did take place, the blog says that too few people are interested in staging any revolution in Armenia. Besides, the blog argues, such...
Armenia: Dubious Election
A Fistful of Euros posts an entry on what it calls Armenia's dubious election. However, the blog says that the outcome of last week's presidential election was pretty much known well in advance, and while corruption and poverty are still facts of life, that's not to say the incumbent authorities...
Armenia: Post-Election Revolution Scenario?
That there would be mass demonstrations immediately after the presidential election held last week in Armenia was known long ago. Many observers also figured on yet another attempt by the radical opposition to stage a colored revolution of the type seen in Georgia and Ukraine. However, few expected it to succeed, but a week after the 19 February vote, the situation is now gearing up for what might be serious confrontation between opposition supporters and the authorities.
Armenia: Life Continues
Shooosh at Life in Armenia admits that she is still confused as to what really happened during last week's presidential election in Armenia and says that reliable information is hard to come by. Nevertheless, the Diaspora blogger concludes, life in the country continues on regardless.
Armenia: Election Disgrace
The Armenian Observer details his displeasure with the final pronouncement from Armenia's Central Elections Commission (CEC) that the prime minister, Serge Sargsyan, won last week's presidential election amid opposition allegations of vote buying, ballot box stuffing and other voting irregularities and falsification.
Armenia: Women March for Ter-Petrossian
The Armenian Patchwork posts photographs of yesterday's march by female supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrossian following last week's disputed presidential election in Armenia. Meanwhile, reporting on the same rally, my Armenia Election Monitor 2008 revisits the Babe Theory of Democratic Movements.
Armenia: Post-Election Confusion
Blogian comments on the latest post-election developments in Armenia after receiving an sms from an American friend asking what is going on in the country. In response, Simon says that he can see both positive and negative aspects to what still remains an unpredictable and confusing situation.
Armenia: Exit Polls
The Armenian Economist comments on two exit polls conducted during voting for last week's presidential election in Armenia . The blog appears to consider the British Populus poll the more reliable of the two, but says the discrepancy between the findings of both is striking.
Armenia: Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Resigns
The Armenian Observer comments on reports that ARF-D presidential candidate Vahan Hovannisian has resigned as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. The move follows last week's presidential election in Armenia.
Armenia: Diplomats Resign
Unzipped comments on reports that four senior Armenian diplomats have resigned following Tuesday's disputed presidential election in Armenia. One of them, Armenian Ambassador to Italy, Spain and Portugal, Ruben Shugaryan, was presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian's aide and press secretary from 1991-3.
Armenia: Post-Election Protests
The Armenian Patchwork posts photos from one of the post-election protest demonstrations staged by presidential candidate and former head of state, Levon Ter-Petrossian. The blog says that to date there has been no coverage of the rallies held to protest the 19 February presidential election in Armenia on national television.
Armenia: Overnight Demonstration
The Armenian Observer details his thoughts after spending a night with a few thousand Ter-Petrossian supporters camped out on Yerevan's Liberty Square following Tuesday's disputed presidential election in Armenia.
Armenia: Realpolitik and Blat
The BBC's Matthew Collin provides readers of his blog, This is Tbilisi Calling, with a very depressing and sobering look at how some feel about this week's presidential election in Armenia.
Armenia: Endless Protest Action
The Armenian Observer posts photographs from the start of today's “endless protest action” staged by supporters of former president, Levon Ter-Petrossian, following Tuesday's disputed presidential election.
Armenia: Karabakh Control
Nazarian reports that a day after the 19 February presidential election marked the 20th anniversary of the Karabakh movement. Demanding the unification of the territory of Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia proper and causing a war with neighboring Azerbaijan, Nazarian wonders if it the Karabakh movement wasn't a mistake now that...
Armenia: Disputed Election
Nazarian says that the 20 February presidential election in Armenia might well have been the worst in the country's short history as an independent post-Soviet republic. However, international observers said it largely complied with international standards.
Armenia: Opposition Protest
Following a disputed presidential election on Tuesday, The Armenian Observer says that 50,000 people have rallied in support of former president Levon Ter-Petrossian in downtown Yerevan. However, other sources such as the international media and local bloggers such The Armenian Patchwork put numbers far lower. The latter blog also posts...
