Central Electoral Commission released today the report on the presidential elections’ first round final data, which slightly differ from previous one. The report says total number of the ballot cast is 2,315,410. Artashes Geghamyan won 250,145 votes, Stepan Demirchyan scored 399,757 and Robert Kocharyan got 700,808. The Kocharyan poll slipped from previous 49,8. It means the second round of election is inevitable.

One more proxy and his deputy were arrested today, Grigor Harutyunyan, the head of the campaigning team of presidential candidate Stepan Demirchyan, said at the press conference held by Demirchyan-led Armenian People Party. He said all those detained in Yerevan’s district of Shengavit were tried and sentenced in the police chief’s room. “They say some verdicts had even been delivered in the cars...

“Authorities began to curse us while taking office and continue to do it now. Why they afraid of us so much? And that is right: they have to be afraid, because we have no intention to come to terms with illegal authorities”, David Shahnazaryan, one of Armenian Nation-wide Movement leaders, said at today’s press conference. He said the party was reluctant to convene press conference to express the party reaction to recent events and respond...

As the election campaigning enters the second round on February 26, Caucasus Media Institute starts the mass media monitoring, Mark Grigoryan, the institute Deputy Director, said in an exclusive interview with Ayb-Fe news agency. Speaking on state-run Public Television, which failed to highlight the opposition-staged rallies criticising them instead, Mr.Grigoryan said:”How can they criticise something...

Ahead of the second round of presidential elections, Armenia’s Renewed Communist Party didn’t miss its opportunity to display its loyalty to current president Robert Kocharyan. In an effort to do a favour to Kocharyan, renewed communists’ turned blind eye even to obvious and already proven facts of election irregularities taken place in the first round of the election. Yuri Manukyan, the party leader, convened a press conference today in...

Candidate for presidency Aram Harutyunyan, National Conciliation Party Chairman, held a press conference. But it turned out he had nothing to say or rather he had phrased his speech into a statement. He read it out for representatives of various Mass Media and went away, leaving their questions unanswered. Hope for us were the statement contents. The candidate stated “Since I aspired to people...

Candidate for presidency Artashes Geghamyan is going to appeal to CEC on February 25 with demand for declaring invalid the process and results of the first round of the presidential elections and beginning new ones . If CEC doesn’t satisfy his demand, an attempt will be made to move the same issue before Constitutional Court on February 26. National Unity Party members aim to secure presence of...

The opposition leaders decided to refrain from demanding Kocharyan’s resignation until Central Election Commission releases final results of counting. They only demand to dismiss the chair of Central Election Commission Artak Sahradyan for tolerating fraud. It was spoken at the rally about innumerable election irregularities. Grigor Harutyunyan, the head of Stepan Demirchyan’s electoral headquarter, presented evidence of ballot box stuffing,...

Armenian capital’s central avenue is overcrowded today. Thousands opposition supporters gathered in the square in front of Yerevan’s history museum a day after Kocharyan said he would tolerate no actions upsetting public order. Buses carrying people from Armenian town of Armavir were stopped by police en rout to Yerevan and barred from reaching the destination, opposition activist Vardan Khachatryan said speaking at the rally. Residents of...

A large-scale rally was held today in Armenian capital by the opposition. As much as 100,000 people attended the event. Public anger has been fuelled by massive irregularities and fraud made in the course of election. All former presidential candidates but Artashes Geghamyan spoke at the rally. At 16:30 local time protesters took to the streets in a march demanding to free those taken in police custody...

Stepan Demirchyan, Robert Kocharyan’s key rival in presidential election, said at today’s news conference he is convinced that he’ll win the second round of the election. He also said he finds it unacceptable to hold the election in such a way. “Presidential elections are marred by massive election irregularities and fraud. Kocharyan didn’t poll so many votes: the figures are false”, Demirchyan said. The authorities resorted to open...

Contrary to anticipation, Central Election Commission didn’t announce the cancellation of the second round of elections after its today’s meeting. At the same time, the commission still didn’t confirm the first round figures and has the right to announce its final decision before February 25. So far, the CEC set a regulations for election campaigns.

Presidential candidate Artashes Geghamyan is to issue a statement tomorrow. He will demand to consider invalid election results. Geghamyan’s electoral headquarter co-ordinator Aghasi Arshakyan is convinced it would be senseless to hold the second round of elections, taking into consideration rough election irregularities as the results. The second round voting may be doubtful as well, he said....

So far, none of the presidential candidate Aram Karapetyan supporters has been taken in custody for participation in an unsanctioned march. “I am not candidate anymore. The rally was staged by presidential candidate Stepan Demirchyan, who has reached the second round of election and has a right to organise rallies”, Karapetyan said. “Candidates and parties are being provided by the space necessary for meetings, assemblies and rallies”, he...

Presidential candidate Garnik Margaryan’s headquarter informed that “Motherland and Honour” organisation’s 6 members were arrested today in Armenian town of Ashtarak. They were sentenced to 15 days in jail for holding unsanctioned march.

“Election is Yours” organisation members say presidential candidate Garnik Margaryan’s proxy tried to make pressure on a member of election commission of polling station N 1703/94. Representative of this candidate’s supporting team Anahit Grigoryan said that allegation is false, because there was no Margaryan’s proxy in above-mentioned polling station.

Total number of the arrested in Ararat province exceeds 60. Aramais Barseghyan, the head of presidential candidate Stepan Demirchyan’s electoral headquarter of the province named all those taken in custody saying there are many drivers among them. One of the drivers after being beaten and intimidated was freed. The drivers are being underwent intimidation in a bid to be prevented from carrying...

“It is very strange to us that heads of electoral headquarters and proxies are arrested. I don’t think such a stance taken amid ubiquitous election irregularities could be advantageous to the republic authorities. I think the arrests will generate the opposite effect, which will affect their own rating and lead them to complete collapse”, “Socialistic Armenia” union’s secretary Vardan Khachatryan says.

Stepan Demirchyan electoral team’s members and his proxies as well as the “Republica” and People party members are arrested and brought to trial in an accusation of staging unsanctioned march. Relatives, friends and fellow-partisans of those arrested gathered before the first instance court demanding to free detainees. In their words, the arrested are mostly those who have submitted records...

Armenian People Party convened an emergency meeting to draw the plan for its farther activity. Now, the meeting is under way. “Rebublic” party says more than 100 of its activists are detained. The number of People Party’s apprehended activists exceed 50.

Rumours are spreading that today at 20:00 Central Election Commission intends to release final results of presidential elections, according to which president Kocharyan won 50% of the votes cast.

Several law enforcement officers tried today in the morning to rush into apartment of “Republic” political party activist Armen Mkrtchyan. They even threatened to break the door, however, the presence of journalists and considerable number of Mkrtchyan’s neighbours stopped them from put into reality their intention. Accompanied by a number of people, Mkrtchyan reach one of the party offices. He reported that other members of the party are...

50 opposition activists were taken in custody last night in Yerevan and provinces. All attempts to learn the reasons of the arrest are useless: the appropriate structures remain irresponsive. According to MP Aramais Barseghyan's information, 25 people were detained in Ararat province.

All the 3 issues included in the CEC today’s sitting regarded the documents necessary for the second round of the presidential election. National Unity Party representative Zaven Pluzyan announced at the beginning of the sitting he won’t take part in the actions over the second phase. CEC Chairman Artak Sahradyan told him he was to decide and begin discussion. Committee approved the forms of the...