EODE Press Service
With EODE-TV – Reuters / 2013 02 22 /
http://www.facebook.com/EODE.org
Luc MICHEL, Administrator-General of EODE (Eurasian Observatory for Democracy & Elections), was in Armenia from February 15, along with a team of EODE-TV, as an expert within an INTERNATIONAL MISSION for Monitoring the election. Mission organized by the Network of independent NGO which participates in EODE and including experts and Members of Parliament from more than ten countries in the EU and the CIS.
Outgoing Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan was elected on Monday after an election test for stability in this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus. Election inevitably denounced before the election as « fraudulent » by his pro-Western opponents. And boycotted by the main opposition parties. President Sargsyan, 59, won 58% of the vote and his main rival, former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian, 54, 32%. Hovannisian has dual citizenship and a U.S. passport …
Serzh Sargsyan, the outgoing Armenian President who at 59 sought a second term, is a native of NAGORNO-KARABAKH, a separatist region of Azerbaijan, which came under control of its Armenian majority as a self-proclaimed independent Republic (capital Stepanakert) after the war of 1991-1994. Former head of the separatist forces of his native region, he said being « ready to fight again against Azerbaijan, » while saying to « focus on negotiations. » Defence Minister and Prime Minister, he was elected president in 2008 after a controversial election and marked by bloody clashes in the context of an aborted pro-Western « colour revolution ».
Armenia is one of the key states in the Caucasus and the backbone of the Russian influence in the region. If the Western European media have claimed to summarize this election with a clash of personalities, CNN has, it, clearly stated the real issue, replacing the election within the opposition between NATO and Russia and between two opposite conceptions of development of the country.
EODE-TV will broadcast soon several reports on this election, including several geopolitical analyses on the Caucasus and Armenia by Luc MICHEL. Who will also publish an extensive report in three parts (Election and political situation – Geopolitical Issues – Conflict in Nagorno Karabakh) …
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Pics: Luc Michel in the Armenian Caucasus and in Yerevan in front of the Minister for foreign relations.
President Sargsyan given his truth for a new term.
The 8 candidates (screenshot of Armenian State TV).
More pics on:
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