Thousands Rally in Armenia Against President's Win

Several thousand opposition supporters rallied in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, protesting the official results of the February 18 presidential election that gave victory to President Serzh Sarkisian.

Supporters of former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian, Sarkisian's main challenger, gathered in Yerevan's central Liberty Square on February 20 to demand the overturn of the election results.

Sarkisian was declared the winner of the election with 58.64 percent of the vote, against Hovannisian's 36.75 percent.

The European Union's foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said on February 20 Armenia had demonstrated democratic progress during the vote, but stressed that the country needs to address shortcomings identified by international monitors.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly said the election lacked real competition after two leading candidates pulled out late last year.

Based on reporting by AFP and RFE/RL's Armenian Service

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/armenia-opposition-vote-rally/24907875.html

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